A Healthier Future: analysis of consultation responses

Annex 7: Learning from elsewhere about obesity management

In their responses to Questions 11 and 12, respondents referred to successful initiatives from further afield where there had been a sustained and integrated effort to tackle obesity. These initiatives included:

• The ‘Oklahoma Weight Loss Initiative’ took a societal approach to promoting health and wellbeing and challenged the citizens of Oklahoma to lose 1 million pounds in weight. They achieved this within five years.
• The French VIF initiative (previously EPODE – “together let’s prevent childhood obesity”) started in 10 towns in 2004 and has since been taken up by more than 250 local authorities. This initiative is aimed at children aged 5-12 who are overweight or at risk of weight gain. ^[35] While overweight and obesity have levelled across France, both are increasing in lower socio-economic communities. However, overweight and obesity are decreasing in all VIF communities.
• The Amsterdam Healthy Weight Programme is aimed at all children under the age of 19 and their parents, care-givers and teachers, but with a particular focus on children who are already obese and those from high risk social groups. ³⁶ Between 2012 (just before the programme began) and 2014, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has levelled off, with a 10% decrease in prevalence in children of all age groups and 18% decrease among very low social economic groups.
• In Finland, the WHO’s Health in All Policies approach has been adopted and had led to a fall in levels of childhood obesity in 5-year-olds. Reference was made specifically to a strategy developed in the city of Seinäjoki.

In addition, the Portuguese government has recently launched an Integrated Strategy for the Promotion of Healthy Eating ( EIPAS) in 2017 – an approach which incorporates health into policies across all sectors. This national policy is closely aligned with recommendations contained in the WHO European Food and Nutrition Action Plan 2015–2020 and the European Union Action Plan on Childhood Obesity 2014–2020. Given the early stage that this initiative is at, results from monitoring are not available at the time of writing.