Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Second Report - The impact of body image on mental and physical health
Health and Social Care Committee
HC 114
Published 2 August 2022
Recommendations
7
Deferred
Para 54
Develop national eating disorder strategy, increase funding, and address regional inequalities in care.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government develops a national eating disorder strategy that aims to understand the causal mechanisms that lead to the development of eating disorders and earmarks adequate funding to bolster existing services as well as to increase investment …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response entirely focused on Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) and anabolic steroid use, outlining work by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), instead of addressing the recommendation for a national eating disorder strategy, research, funding, and addressing regional inequalities in eating disorder care.
Department of Health and Social Care
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8
Deferred
Para 59
Commission national review of anabolic steroid use and launch safe use awareness campaign.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Department commissions a national review of the growing use of anabolic steroids in England as it relates to body image. We further recommend that the Department introduces a national awareness campaign around safe anabolic steroid use. …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response largely deflected the recommendation for a national review and awareness campaign on anabolic steroid use, instead focusing on the Online Advertising Programme (OAP) and its consideration of advertisements that contribute to body image concerns, and engagement with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on digitally altered images.
Department of Health and Social Care
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9
Deferred
Para 66
Introduce legislation to mandate a logo label for all digitally altered commercial body images.
Recommendation
We call on the Government to work with advertisers to feature a wider variety of body aesthetics, and work with industry and the ASA to encourage advertisers and influencers not to doctor their images. We believe the Government should introduce …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the issue and commits to collaborating with other departments to gather robust evidence on screen time's impact before deciding whether to progress with a nationwide public health campaign. It does not commit to working with advertisers or introducing legislation for image labelling.
Department of Health and Social Care
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11
Deferred
Integrate body image training into medical, nursing, and parent-interacting professional programmes within two years.
Recommendation
We urge Health Education England, the General Medical Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council to collaborate with third sector organisations that are currently educating people about, and promoting awareness of, body image issues, and after a period of assessment, integrate …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response does not address the recommendation to integrate body image training into medical, nursing, and midwifery curricula. Instead, it discusses the lack of plans for nationally required annual holistic health and wellbeing assessments and the existing health visiting and school nurse delivery model.
Department of Health and Social Care
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14
Deferred
Para 87
Implement population-level policies to tackle obesity and immediately restrict unhealthy food multibuy deals.
Recommendation
We urge the Government to implement population-level policies that ensure healthier choices and lifestyles are made a priority in tackling obesity rates, rather than schemes that focus solely on weight loss and can engender weight stigma and result in adverse …
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Government Response Summary
The government deflects the recommendation by detailing the National Institute for Health Research's (NIHR) existing portfolio of research on weight management and policy evaluations, and states that NIHR welcomes funding applications for various health topics but does not ring-fence funds.
Department of Health and Social Care
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16
Deferred
Para 96
Integrate weight stigma training into healthcare curricula and review obesity campaign language.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government undertakes an urgent review of its current campaigns related to obesity and alters any language or media used that fail to 36 The impact of body image on mental and physical health mention being underweight …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response details guidance for doctors offering non-surgical cosmetic procedures and the importance of informed patient choice, but does not address the recommendation to review obesity campaigns for language or integrate weight stigma training into medical, nursing, and allied professional curricula.
Department of Health and Social Care
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17
Deferred
Fund research into tackling obesity, eliminating weight stigma, and weight-neutral interventions.
Recommendation
There needs to be further research to establish how best to tackle obesity while eliminating weight stigma and discrimination, and to establish the efficacy of weight- neutral interventions, and we recommend that the National Institute for Health Research put aside …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response outlines plans to consider specific premises standards for non-surgical cosmetic procedures and work with the CQC to ensure consistency, but does not address the recommendation for the National Institute for Health Research to fund research on tackling obesity and weight stigma.
Department of Health and Social Care
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22
Deferred
Minimum education and training standards for non-surgical cosmetic practitioners are currently lacking.
Recommendation
We are convinced that there is a need for a minimum standard to be met in regards to the education and training of practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures. It is essential to ensure patient safety, and thus should be …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the need for suitable training and nationally recognised standards for non-surgical cosmetic practitioners. They will work with stakeholders, including JCCP, to consider whether further education and training requirements are necessary, rather than committing to a specific new regulatory framework.
Department of Health and Social Care
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Conclusions (2)
15
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 95
Throughout the inquiry, we have been aware of the importance and complexities involved in tackling obesity rates to improve population health and reducing weight stigma to not perpetuate mental and physical health issues.
Government Response Summary
The government's response discusses the introduction of a licensing regime for non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including the scope of work and a plan for delivery by July 2023, but does not address the committee's conclusion regarding the importance of tackling obesity rates and reducing weight stigma.
19
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 113
The dangers posed by non-surgical cosmetic procedures in vulnerable groups have been evident throughout the inquiry. The new licensing regime provides an opportunity to ensure that anyone planning to undertake a non-surgical cosmetic procedure has the time and space to consider their decision, and weigh up the risks and benefits. …
Government Response Summary
The government explained the current regulation of dermal fillers as products by the MHRA, mentioning that the MHRA intends to introduce more stringent rules for aesthetic and non-medical products, but stated there are no plans to make dermal fillers prescription-only.