Fighting the flab over the phone

Last updated at 11:58 15 March 2005


The UK's first obesity helpline is being launched as the nation's battle with the bulge gathers pace.

The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust (TOAST) is launching its help and information line to mark Obesity Awareness Week.

It comes as the Government steps up pressure on public health services to help people take more exercise and eat a healthier diet.

Figures show that 22 per cent of men and 23 per cent of women in England are obese - a threefold increase since the 1980s, while 65 per cent of men and 56 per cent of women - 24 million adults -are either overweight or obese.

About 16 per cent of two to 15-year-olds are also obese. Treating the ill-health caused by poor diet costs the NHS at least £4 billion a year.

TOAST said the health problems associated with obesity, including heart disease, diabetes and kidney failure, made it a major concern for the UK.

The trust said obesity in England had grown by almost 400 per cent in 25 years and was growing faster than in any other European country.

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Director Louise Diss said: "We have been campaigning for several years to ensure that the issues relating to obesity are high on the public agenda.

"TOAST intends to continue to open all eyes and minds to the problems, not least that obesity is a multi-faceted problem that requires a wide range of solutions.

"It is vital that people whose lives are affected by obesity are able to get the support that they need."

Contact the helpline on 0845 045 0225.

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