Diet and healthy weight: monitoring report 2019

Policy Context

Obesity is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most complex public health challenges of our time. Its effects are profound, impacting not only our health, but also our ability to lead happy, fulfilling lives. It also leads to increased, unsustainable demand on the NHS and other public services.

Obesity is the second-biggest preventable cause of cancer, behind only smoking, and is linked to around 2,200 cases of cancer a year in Scotland^[2]. Living with overweight or obesity is also the most significant risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes^[3], and can result in increased risk of other conditions, including cardiovascular disease and hypertension^[4].

The annual cost of treating conditions associated with overweight and obesity is estimated to range from £363 million to £600 million. The total annual cost to the Scottish economy of overweight and obesity, including labour market related costs such as lost productivity, is estimated to be between £0.9 billion and £4.6 billion^[5].

The pervasiveness of the issue, coupled with the health and economic consequences, make it a key priority for the Scottish Government.

In July 2018, the government published A Healthier Future: Scotland's Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan, which sets out a vision for everyone in Scotland to eat well and have a healthy weight. Central to the plan are the ambitions to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and significantly reduce diet-related health inequalities. The plan, which has over 60 broad-ranging actions, has a strong focus on prevention, including population level measures to make it easier for people to make healthier choices.

The approach set out in the Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan is underpinned by Scotland's wider Public Health Reform Programme and the creation of Scotland's Public Health Priorities, jointly published by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities' (COSLA) and the Scottish Government, which aim to focus efforts to improve the health of the population. Included in these is a priority to create 'a Scotland where we eat well, have a healthy weight and are physically active'.

Alongside the diet and healthy weight delivery plan, the Scottish Government also published A More Active Scotland: Scotland's Physical Activity Delivery Plan. This recognises the importance of physical activity in promoting and maintaining healthy weight. Progress towards the outcomes set out in this Delivery Plan is being monitored through a dedicated set of indicators linked to the Active Scotland Outcomes Framework.