Obesity: 'A ticking time-bomb'

Tom Burridge
The Politics Show
BBC West

Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available in your territory.

Will the government's latest attempts to fight obesity work?

The Politics Show West looks at how the NHS is fighting the obesity problem in the region.

Free-exercise classes are now available on the NHS.

They are the Government's latest weapon in its fight against fat.

Denise Byron is waiting for a kidney transplant.

She needs to lose weight and attends a class in Weston-Super-Mare.

"I've got a young family and it's obviously quite important that I get my transplant as soon as possible," she says.

Money game

In 2007, health bosses in the West spent almost £700m on the obesity problem.

Piling on the pounds - spending on obesity measures.

Within seven years they will be spending a massive £770m.

Professor Julian Hamilton-Shield at Bristol's Children's Hospital says the number of people treated for obesity will only rise:

"We only treat the people who come to us.

"We don't pick people off the street, but we suspect that as more and more people become aware of us, we'll be flooded."

Child's play

A pilot project for overweight children is also running in Bristol aimed at tackling obesity at an early age.

Kids of all ages are referred to the scheme by their GP.

Fighting obesity through fitness classes.

The Labour MP for Bristol North-West, Doug Naysmith sits on the Health Select Committee.

He wants more resources to be focused on children at primary schools:

"They need to exercise more and eat more healthily and learn about food," he says.

Fattening-up the role of the state

The Government knows the scale of the problem - one in three adults in England are overweight.

We are all responsible for our own health, but most now accept the state has a role to play.

"It's something a good Government should do, is tell people what they can do to make a difference to their lives," concludes Karin Dixon, a Health Improvement Specialist.

Health bosses recognise that the obesity issue is a ticking time-bomb which must be tackled and nipped in the bud before it escalates.

If preventative action can be taken now, it can help reduce the escalating costs of obesity-related health problems.

Join Jon Sopel and David Garmston for the Politics Show West on Sundays at 12:00 GMT on BBC One (or watch again on the BBC iPlayer).

---