§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to establish a national obesity strategy. [118971]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonAction to address obesity in England is being taken forward through the national service frameworks (NSFs) for coronary heart disease, older people and diabetes. The forthcoming NSF for children will address the health and social care needs of all children and will include the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity.
Effective prevention and management of obesity requires an integrated, cross-Government approach, working with a range of partners on programmes to tackle obesity, improve diet and increase physical activity levels.
The Department of Health is leading the development of a comprehensive food and health action plan, working across Government and with the food industry and other stakeholders to establish a coherent and effective programme of activities on nutrition in order to achieve a healthier diet. The joint Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Strategy Unit Report, "Game Plan", set out a new target of 70 per cent. of the population to be active by 2020. In order to deliver this target, a central Department of Health/DCMS-led sport and physical activity board is being set up.
At present, guidance is available to tackle obesity, including guidance issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) on drugs and surgery and a national quality assurance framework for exercise referral systems to promote physical activity.
NICE has been asked to develop guidance on identification, prevention and management of obesity and maintenance of weight reduction. The Health Development Agency is also setting out the evidence base for effective interventions on the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity, and the maintenance of weight loss.
The national health service priorities and planning framework for 2003–06 includes targets on reducing CHD and diabetes. One of these targets requires practice-based registers and systematic treatment regimes, including appropriate advice on diet, physical activity and smoking, to cover the majority of patients at high risk of coronary heart disease, particularly those with hypertension, diabetes and a body mass index greater than 30.