East Midlands platform on food, physical activity and
health
8 June 2010
The social and economic costs of obesity
are rising in the East Midlands. Across the country, lost earnings
of £2.3 billion to £3.6 billion are attributable to obesity, whilst
the cost to the NHS is £4.2 billion. Some areas of the East
Midlands are worse than the average for
England.
In the fight against the rising tide, public health champions in
the region have signed a declaration to take action through the
establishment of a Regional Platform on Food, Physical Activity and
Health. The first of its kind in Europe, its supporters include the
European Commission, the Chair of the East Midlands Leaders Board
and the Regional Director of Public Health.
Whilst many organisations are already taking steps either on
their own or as part of national initiative to tackle obesity, this
is the first opportunity to realise the benefits of bringing
the private, public and third sectors together under the framework
of this new Regional Platform.
The East Midland Platform is looking to engage with Public and
Third Sector organisations, active in the East Midlands who are
prepared to join this movement by making voluntary yet measurable
commitments. The scale of the action will be driven by you.
Here are some examples of areas to consider:
• Promoting healthy lifestyles in your workforce e.g.
signing up to the Food for Life Standard for catering
provision, providing cycle racks as part of an Active Travel
Plan
• Supporting education, training, and research on
obesity
• Making every Public and Third Sector contact count by
training frontline staff in behaviour change skills
Further examples and case studies of commitments can be found on
the
European Platform website.
How to join the Platform
If you are able to commit to:
• Signing up to the East Midlands Declaration on
Obesity
• Taking additional action to halt or reverse the rising trend
of obesity
• Publicly registering a commitment to take action
• Subjecting these actions to public scrutiny
And you would like your organisation and community to enjoy the
benefits of:
• A healthy and productive workforce leading to
• Increased efficiency and an improvement in the quality of
service for users
• The opportunity to network with new partners
• Gaining recognition for your innovation
• Becoming world-class in achieving the delivery of your
targets
If you would like further information or support in developing
your commitment please visit the website.