Obesity in Modern Times Obesity is a world-wide crisis. According to the government, in 2016/2017, an estimated 22.6% of children (aged 4 to 5) in England were overweight, a significant increase from 21.9% in 2014/2015. So, what is obesity and why is it a problem? Young Reporter Jack investigates. Obesity is a condition that is associated with having an excess amount of body fat, defined by genetic and environmental factors that are difficult to control when dieting. Obesity is classified as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater. What causes obesity? In today’s environment, it is easy to adopt unhealthy behaviors. Behavior, in the case of obesity, relates to food choices, amount of physical activity you get and the effort to maintain your health. There are more than 40 medical conditions that are associated with obesity. Individuals who have obesity are at risk of developing one or more of these serious medical conditions. The most prevalent obesity-related diseases include: High blood pressure High cholesterol Diabetes Heart disease Stroke Gallbladder disease Osteoarthritis Sleep apnea and respiratory problems Some cancers such as colon, breast and endometrial New measures to halve the number of obese children by 2030 have been announced by Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Building on the first chapter of the childhood obesity plan, the new measures include proposals to counter ‘pester power’ by preventing stores from displaying unhealthy food at checkouts or including it in buy-one-get-one-free deals. The Department of Health and Social Care will consult on introducing clear, consistent calorie labelling on menus in restaurants, cafés and takeaways, so parents can make an informed choice about what their families are eating. The department will also consult on banning the sale of harmful, caffeine-laden energy drinks to children – a quarter of 6- to 9-year-olds consume these energy drinks, which can have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee or more. The government is calling on industry to recognise the harm that adverts for foods high in fat, sugar and salt can cause. It will consult on introducing new TV and online advertising restrictions to prevent children from being targeted by these unhealthy products, and to incentivise companies to reduce the sugar and calories in the products they sell. This could include extending the current advertising watershed and considering limiting the number of unhealthy food adverts shown during children’s programes up to 9pm. The second chapter of the plan also promotes a new national ambition for every primary school to adopt a daily ‘active mile’ initiative, such as the Daily Mile. This is supported by £620,000 funding for Living Street’s Walk to School project, as well as £1 million to support the Department for Transport’s Bikeability cycling training programe, expected to fund an additional 25,000 training places. Government will launch a 3-year programe to work closely with local authority partners to show what can be achieved within existing powers with a particular focus on inequalities, finding solutions to barriers and sharing best practice with others. In conclusion I think obesity is a world-wide crisis and should be recognized as one. Jack