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British Gov’t Asks Junk Food Industry to Save Them from Obesity

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By healthhabits, July 8, 2010

In their latest attempt to stem the tide of British obesity, the national government is asking junk food producers to fund healthy living campaigns in return for a promise to not slap any taxes on fatty, sugary, salty, processed foods.

And in keeping with this new style of governance, the Prime Minister will also be asking London’s crack and crystal meth dealers to fund the nation’s “Say No to Drugs” programs in return for repealing the nation’s drug laws.

They may also looking into new funding arrangements with the tobacco industry, industrial polluters union #666 and NAMBLA.

Pardon me, but WTF

• Junk food producers make money by selling junk food.
• Junk food makes you fat.
• Fat people are great junk food customers.
• Healthy eaters are bad junk food customers.
• The aim of healthy living campaigns is to turn junk food eaters into healthy eaters

So, why would junk food producers want to fund successful anti-obesity / healthy living programs?

Answer: they wouldn’t.

But, they probably won’t mind spending a few million on ineffective programs if it means they can continue making billions selling crap food to the British public.

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And for all those non-Brits out there, don’t think that your government wouldn’t sell you out just as quick.

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BTW, you may have noticed that this story pissed me off.

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British Gov’t Asks Junk Food Industry to Save Them from Obesity is a post from: Health and Fitness - Health Habits

anti-obesity, Diet, Diet/Nutrition, england, fat, Fitness, government, great britain, Health, healthy living, I Wanna Be Healthy, libertarian, Nutrition, Obesity, politics, social engineering, u.k., uk, Weight Loss, wellness | Billions, Brits, Btw, Campaigns, Crystal Meth, Fitness Health, Food Eaters, Food Industry, Food Producers, Health And Fitness, Health Habits, Industrial Polluters, Ineffective Programs, Junk Food, National Government, New Style, Obesity, Prime Minister, Processed Foods, Tobacco Industry

A Common Sense Solution to Rising Health Care Costs

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By healthhabits, May 20, 2010

(Nick Ray / The Times)

Around the world, health care costs are going up and up.

And with the massive baby boomer population bulge entering their senior years, some governments / businesses / insurance companies are looking for new & creative ways to reduce health care costs.

One of those creative solutions is the construction of public (free) fitness parks (playgrounds) aimed at adults.

In England, a new Senior Playground has recently been built by a coalition of community activists (Knightsbridge association) and two levels of government agencies.

And this isn’t England’s first “senior playground”. They are popping up all over the country.

And England certainly isn’t the first country to take this sort of initiative. Parks such as these can be found throughout China, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea…

Credit: Christopher Wanjek

And yet, in my home country of Canada, all three levels of government ignore initiatives such as this in favor of spending millions on marketing campaigns urging Canadians to exercise more and billions on treating lifestyle diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Instead of giving Participaction $3,000,000 per year for a website and some bad commercials…

ParticipACTION Ad – “Soccer Mom” from Malcolm Sutherland on Vimeo.

…they could build 50 fitness parks per year.

Or, if they were really serious, they could siphon off 1/1000th of the approx. $183 billion (2009) spent nationally on health care and build 3,050 new fitness parks per year.

($183 B ÷1000 ÷$60,000 per park = 3050 new fit parks)

And who knows, maybe the cost of the new fit parks will actually result in a net savings for government as the costs associated with obesity and related lifestyle diseases decrease.

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Because, as my Grandma used to say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

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Exercise, fit park, Fitness, fitness park, government, Health, health care, healthcare, I Wanna Be Healthy, obamacare, politics, senior citizen, senior playground | China Hong Kong, Common Sense Solution, Community Activists, Creative Solutions, Free Fitness, Health Care Costs, Lifestyle Diseases, Malcolm Sutherland, Marketing Campaigns, New Fit, New Fitness, Nick Ray, Ounce Of Prevention, Participaction, Population Bulge, Rising Health Care, Rising Health Care Costs, Soccer Mom, Times Around The World, Type 2 Diabetes, Vimeo

Aaaarrrggggghhhhhh

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By healthhabits, May 13, 2010

Yesterday, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) and ParticipACTION unveiled a series of new physical activity recommendations to encourage Canadians to become more physically active. And that’s good. I am a big fan of health promotion / disease prevention. Problem is… these recommendations are toothless. They’re just talk. What’s the point of setting new exercise guidelines if you don’t support them up with initiatives to convert those guidelines into actual physical activity? .

• We already know that we “should” exercise
• We already know that we “should” eat healthier
• We already know that we’re fatter than ever
• We already know that our kids are fatter than ever
• We already know that we should reduce stress, sleep 8 hours, take our vitamins…

We already know this stuff What we need is:

• Legislation & funding to re-introduce phys-ed classes into our schools
• A re-organization of gov’t food subsidies to improve our food supply
• A non-partisan discussion about applying “sin” taxes to junk food
• Marketing campaigns designed to promote a healthy lifestyle
• Tax credits designed to reward individual behaviors that promote health, prevent disease and reduce healthcare costs
• Tax credits for community fitness groups

And the only way we’re ever going to get what we need is to pressure/embarrass our politicians  into doing what we want. sad but true So, in that spirit, I am asking you to apply some pressure on your politicians by sending them an email (include a link to this article) asking telling them that we need to get serious about health promotion / disease prevention. To make things a little easier, I am including a list of state/provincial government departments responsible for health promotion. .

Canada

• Alberta Health & Wellness
• B.C. Healthy Living & Sport
• Manitoba Healthy Living
• New Brunswick Health
• Newfoundland Health
• Northwest Territories Health & Social Services
• Nova Scotia Health Promotion
• Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion (email link)
• PEI Health & Wellness
• Quebec Ministere de la Sante  et des Services sociaux
• Saskatchewan Health
• Yukon Health & Social Services

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United States of America

• List of U.S. Health Agencies

(apologies to my American friends, but there are just way too many states and I have clients to train) . .

Disease Prevention, Exercise, Fitness, government, Health, Health Promotion, healthcare, I Wanna Be Healthy, Obesity, politics, preventative medicine | Alberta Health, Canada Alberta, Community Fitness, Csep, Disease Prevention, Exercise Guidelines, Exercise Physiology, Food Marketing, Food Subsidies, Food Supply, Health Promotion Canada, Healthcare Costs, Healthy Lifestyle, Marketing Campaigns, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Ontario Ministry, Participaction, Phys Ed Classes, Provincial Government Departments, Sin Taxes, Sport Manitoba

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