British Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday used his own struggle with weight to urge the British to get fitter and tackle widespread obesity that could heighten COVID-19 risks.
New government measures to help people shed weight include banning TV and online advertisements for junk food before 9pm, ending “buy one get one free” deals on such foods and flagging calories on menus of large restaurants plus possibly on alcohol.
Johnson, 56, who has lost more than 6kg since a life-threatening brush with COVID-19, was responding to research showing that those who are obese or overweight are at increased risk of death or severe illness from the disease.
Photo: AP
He has a reputation as a bon viveur, who in the past has spoken of enjoying an expensive bottle of red wine and late-night binges on chorizo and cheese.
However, he has also championed cycling to work and introduced so-called “Boris bikes” in London for public use when mayor of the British capital.
Last month, Johnson said British people were fatter than most European counterparts apart from Malta and his government targeted “tackling the obesity time bomb.”
“I’ve always wanted to lose weight for ages and ages, and like many people I struggle with my weight, I go up and down. But since I recovered from coronavirus I have been steadily building up my fitness,” he said in a Twitter video yesterday.
“When I went into ICU [intensive care unit] when I was really ill, I was way overweight ... and, you know, I was too fat,” he added, describing his new regime as a gentle run in the morning, which gives him more energy during the day.
Johnson, who has often mocked state “nannying,” said he hoped the new health campaign was not “excessively bossy,” but rather a gentle nudge for the UK to get fitter.
With more than 60 percent of adults in the UK considered overweight or obese, according to Public Health England, a “Better Health” campaign would be introduced with weight management services expanded in the British National Health Service.
The opposition Labour Party said it had heard “big promises” from the ruling Conservatives before and criticized them for past health service cuts.
“An effective obesity strategy needs action, not consultation,” Labour’s health and social care policy chief Alex Norris said. “The Tories [Conservatives] have pared public health to the bone and people are paying the price for 10 years of this complacency.”
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