Vicki Wong MB10

What do the newspapers say about obesity? A critical review

Obesity has been stated as one of the main issues that need to be tackled by the
NHS. In the Labour governments white paper called Choosing Health (2004), it
claims that the rapid increase in child and adult obesity over the past decade is
storing up very serious health problems1 in the future if the it is not dealt with
effectively. It further goes on the address the many issues that obesity can cause,
such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and more. It is becoming one the
most frequently reported issues on the news and media with some reporting
that UK figures show 67 per cent of men, and 57 per cent of women are
overweight or obese.2 This alarmingly high percentage highlights just why it is
becoming one the main health issues in the UK.

Broadsheets, tabloids and online news depict this issue to the public eye in many
different ways. In a recent article by The Telegraph entitled Britain almost the
worst in the world for obesity-fuelled cancer, it claims that obesity is one the
biggest causes of cancer in the UK and that British men have the fourth worst
levels of cancer caused by obesity.2 It further references a study published The
Lancet Oncology, stating that each year 4.4 per cent of cases of cancer in men are
linked to obesity a total of 7,217 cases each year.2 More statistics are given
throughout the article, percentages of the different types of cancer emphasising
obesity being the biggest cause of them all.

Similarly in an article by The Daily Mail, called Women 'twice as likely to have
cancer linked to their weight': Obesity causes 20,000 UK cases a year, evident by
the title, also claims obesity as being the main cause of cancer causing more than
20,000 cases a year in Britain.3 It refers to the obesity epidemic as a factor that
contributes to cancers of the esophagus, colon, rectum, kidney pancreas, ovary
and womb lining. Whilst the previous article mentioned above by The Daily Mail
focuses on obesity being the cause of for cancers in men, highlighting that the
issue is prevalent in both sexes. It goes on to say that if the issue of obesity is left
untreated then it could lead to 4,000 extra cases a year by 20263.

Another article focusing on obesity is a particular gender is one by The Mirror,

under the name British girls are FATTEST in western Europe claims alarming
new research by The Lancet . The article quotes figures from a study performed
by The Lancet where 29.2% of girls under the age of 20 are classed as
excessively heavy with just over 8% meeting the clinical definition of obesity4.
Further figures are given from different countries in Europe, and further
research quoted shows that a quarter of Britain's adult population to be obese.4
The author further stresses the growing increase of obesity and explains why it
is such an important issue that the NHS needs to deal with.

Whilst the issue of adult obesity is a frequent topic among newspapers, the topic
of child obesity is becoming more prevalent. An article on the BBC News website,
entitled Fifth of millennium babies 'obese' by age of 11, raises the issue of
increasing child obesity rates. It states that 35% of children in England are obese
or overweight5, the problem arising from unhealthy families where parents are
overweight passing it down to their children in a vicious circle. Claiming that if
Vicki Wong MB10

the government helps parents lose weight then this could potentially have a
beneficial effect their children. It article further states that children should need
at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day in order to maintain a
healthy lifestyle.

The cost of treating obesity has also been a popular topic among many
newspapers, in an article by The Independent, called Obesity does more damage
to Britain than war or terrorism, study finds, claims that the cost of treating
health issues caused by obesity is more that of war, terrorism and armed
violence. In a new study they say that obesity costs Britains economy 47bn a
year6, said to be equivalent to the entire budget of the police force, fire services,
law courts and prisons. A similar article by The Guardian, entitled Obesity bigger
cost for Britain than war and terror, even goes to say that obesity is a bigger
burden on the UKs economy than terrorism and war. According to another
study if twenty percent of obese people are back to normal weigh in ten years
then this could save around 16bn a year in the UK, including an annual saving
of about 766m in the NHS7. Criticism of the governments current plan on
tackling obesity were highlighted calling the governments efforts too
fragmented to be effective, stating that if obesity continues it could have a long
lasting social and economical effect in the future.

Broadsheets, tabloids and online news all portray obesity in a very similar
fashion; articles from different types of newspapers often use very negative
connotations when writing about this issue. Whereas some newspapers focused
on the obesity being the cause for life threatening conditions like cancer, some
focused on the child obesity and that the children of the UK are becoming more
obese if no action is taken. The economical effect of obesity is also addressed
other newspapers like The Independent and The Guardian. We are told the
staggering amount of money the UK puts into treating health conditions caused
by obesity, the also how much we could save if we tackled obesity effectively.
The frequent use of statistics and figures quoted from various studies gives off
the impression that the author has researched the topic considerably and that
the source of this information is reliable. This is clearly evident in article by The
Telegraph and The Mirror, where figures were taken from The Lancet, one of the
most well known medial journals in the UK.

The way in which newspapers address a particular topic can often influence our
own opinions. Information provided by newspapers may be used to sway us into
a particular direction, however analysing and reviewing information given can
often help us more in understanding the topic itself and allow us to form our
own opinions on the topic.
Vicki Wong MB10

1Choosing Health (2004) Executive Summary, Department of Health, HM

Government (Online) -
http://www.nhshistory.net/choosing%20health%20summary.pdf
Last Accessed 30/11/2014

2Laura Donnelly (The Telegraph - November 2014), Britain almost the worst in
the world for obesity-fuelled cancer (Online) -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11254116/Britain-almost-the-
worst-in-the-world-for-obesity-fuelled-cancer.html
Accessed 29/11/2014

3 Jenny Hope (The Daily Mail Nov 2014), Women 'twice as likely to have cancer
linked to their weight': Obesity causes 20,000 UK cases a year (Online) -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2849591/Women-twice-likely-
cancer-linked-weight.html
Accessed - 29/11/2014

4 Ben Burrows (The Mirror May 2014), British girls are FATTEST in western
Europe claims alarming new research by The Lancet (Online) -
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/british-girls-
fattest-western-europe-3620185
Accessed 29/11/2014

5James Gallagher (BBC News - Nov 2014), Fifth of millennium babies 'obese' by
age of 11 (Online) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30206537
Accessed - 29/11/2014

6Jon Stone (The Independent Nov 2014), Obesity does more damage to Britain
than war or terrorism, study finds (Online) -
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/obesity-does-more-damage-to-
britain-than-war-or-terrorism-study-finds-9871798.html?origin=internalSearch
Accessed 29/11/2014

7Press Association (The Guardian Nov 2014), Obesity bigger cost for Britain
than war and terror (Online) -
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/20/obesity-bigger-cost-than-
war-and-terror?commentpage=1
Accessed 29/11/2014