Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have calculated the cost of obesity to the NHS; and whether they will put in place preventative schemes to reduce childhood obesity.

An analysis of the economic burden of a range of risk factors for chronic disease estimated that overweight and obesity cost the National Health Service £5.1 billion per year. We will put forward our plans for a childhood obesity strategy before the year end.

A copy of the analysis The economic burden of ill health due to diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and obesity in the UK: an update to 2006-07 NHS costs is attached and available at:

http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/05/11/pubmed.fdr033.full.pdf+html