Globalisation:National Obesity Forum

Emma Patrick Christina McDonald Rachel Cunningham

http://www.nationalobesityforum.org.uk/

History

The National Obesity Forum was created in 2000 by a group of health professionals and is a registered charity (1109600).

The main aims of the NOF are to:

-Increase the public focus on obesity and develop more awareness about the health implications.

-To help educate more people on the topic of obesity and health from an earlier age.

-To encourage the Government to make tackling obesity a priority, in order to save the NHS money in future years.

People

Trustees

• Dr Hilary Jones - Patron

• Jane DeVille-Almond Vice Chair

• Dr David Haslam - GP, Hertfordshire Chair

• Shamil Chandaria - Honorary Patron

• Anne Diamond Honorary - Patron

• Debbie Cook

• Dr Matthew Capehorn - Clinical Director

• Tam Fry - Honorary Chairman of The Child Growth Foundation

• Paul Sacher - Research Director, MEND Programme

• Dr Colin Waine - Patron

• Graham Philips

National Obesity Forum Trustees

Funding

Partner Organisations

• All-Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity (APPG) - a group of MPs and peers who work to raise awareness of Obesity issues through policy change, discussion and debate.

• Department of Health – They advise the NHS and social services on health provisions in the UK. They also influence policy decisions. Some of the other organisations they work with include the National Stakeholder Forum, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). They are involved in setting national standards on clinical trials and research in the UK.

• National Institute of Clinical Excellence – An independent organisation committed to raising awareness of good health and how to avoid ill-health

• [www.rcpch.ac.uk/ Royal College of Paediatricians]– A charity established by the Royal Charter involved in the training and examination of paediatricians. They also provide education and resources in the interests of better health and services for children and young people.

• Association for the Study of Obesity – A charity organisation who are dedicated the treatment and understanding of obesity. It is run by a board of unpaid trustees

• National Audit Office – A UK government organisation who advise government on public spending in the interests of the citizens.

• Korean Academy of Family Physicians

• National Association of Primary Care - An apolitical not for profit organisation who support the interests of healthcare professionals working in the primary care sector. Their partner organisations include AstraZeneca, The GP Group, The MSD, the NHS Confederation, Pfizer, Practice Profit, Tribal, Scot Mackenzie Consultancy, Servier, The Health Consultancy, William’s Medical Supplies and X-Genics Ltd.

• LighterLife UK Limited – A weight Management Programme with a focus on weight loss through counselling and healthy lifestyles.

• Roche Products Ltd – A partner organisation to the NHS who are involved in the research and development of pharmaceutical products. They also support the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

• Abbott Laboratories – A pharmaceutical industry who develop a broad range of specialised medicines, Diagnostic systems and tests, Vascular devices, provisions in ophthalmic care, Blood glucose monitoring systems, Nutritional products for all ages and Veterinary care. They provide financial and practical aid to countries world-wide through their volunteer programme.

• Slim Fast Foods Ltd – A range of weight loss foods produced under the group Unilever originally developed from a range of foods created by the Thomson Medical Group. Unilever were rated as one of the world’s most influential companies in December 2008 and have launched world-wide programmes including aid in Africa to combat malnutrition.

• Safeway Foods plc

• Tanita UK Ltd – A Japanese based corporation who manufacture health care products. It has offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and China and production facilities located in the Far East. It has almost 50% of the domestic market share in Japan.

• Sanofi-Aventis Ltd – The UK branch of the international pharmaceuticals organisation Sanofi-Aventis. They work in partnership with Anticoagulation Europe, Atrial Fibrillation Association, Diabetes UK (Cymru), Epilepsy Action, Lifeblood, Marie Curie, Prostate Cancer Charity Sparks and The Children's Medical Research Charity.

• Mantis Surgical Equipment Ltd - A supplier of surgical products as selected from manufacturers world-wide. In 2003 they became a member of the United Drug group.

• GlaxoSmithKline UK Ltd – A global pharmaceuticals company who research and develop medicines and health provisions. They are headed by a Board of Directors and Corporate Executive Team. They work in partnership with the World Health Organisation providing global aid to other countries.

• Canderel – A range of diet foods produced by the Merisant Group. They have approximately 30% in the market share for table top sweeteners and are worth $1.2billion. More than half of Merisant sales are made outside the US and they own 19 brands in more than 100 countries.

• British Meat Nutrition Education Services – Supported by the red meat industry this organisation provides resources and education on the importance of meat as part of a healthy lifestyle. This includes publications for schools and parents to promote commercial and industrial awareness.

• Rosemary Conley Enterprises – A celebrity lead weight management programme that includes tailored dietary foods and other named brands in the promotion of weight loss.

• Carlton TV Ltd -

• The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust (Toast) -

Collaborative Work

The NOF are in support of the following campaigns:

Child Poverty Action Group campaign for free school meals – this group, known as ‘38 degrees: people, power, change’ began in 2009 and have since been involved in ensuring the Irag Inquiry be held in public and have been in discussion with the new coalition government for a ban on private lobbying.

Children’s Food Campaign – a campaign supporting food growing activities for children. This is part of the larger group ‘Sustain’. They are headed by approximately one hundred organisations including local, regional, national and international groups.

Views on tackling obesity

The National Obesity Forum advocate many ways of tackling obesity.

-They advise increasing activity levels, and put importance on making exercise ‘fun’ and easy by focussing on ordinary activities such as gardening, shopping, and sports.

-They also advise making a personal plan to suit each individual.

-They provide information on how to have a healthy diet and put importance on portion control.

- Advice is also given on 'positive thinking' and how this can impact a person's ability to lose weight.

The NOF also back more drastic and often risky means of weight loss, including; very low calorie diets, medication, meal replacements, and even surgery.

With regards to weight loss medication (or 'Anti-Obesity Medication), the NOF mention two specific drugs - Sibutramine(Reductil) and Orlistat(Alli).

One of these drugs - Orlistat - was actually the first 'over the counter' weight loss drug available, and was produced by Glaxosmithkline, which is one of the NOFs parter organisations.