The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated starkly the dangers of obesity in our society. An obese individual who develops Covid-19 has a less favourable prognosis than one with a body weight within the normal range. Obesity is a drain on our precious National Health Service resources as obese individuals can develop diabetes and other health related problems which require treatment and long term care. As a result of 2020 lockdowns Britons in general have gained weight.
Because the problem is a societal one it is beyond the capacity of any single organisation to resolve on its own. The challenge highlighted by Covid-19 is to tackle this problem with a co-ordinated strategy and approach by healthcare teams and our food producers and supermarkets. The ongoing response to the pandemic has shown that it is possible (though not easy) to mobilise public sector organisations, the private and community/voluntary sectors and the public at large in support of a shared goal. While obesity is a less immediate and obvious threat than the virus, which is part of the problem in tackling it, it is deeply damaging to the public health of the country.
Ultimately it is something we in the western world should be able to tackle successfully.
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