Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Accepted
We are disappointed to learn that there have been no reviews of the effectiveness of...
Recommendation
We are disappointed to learn that there have been no reviews of the effectiveness of the current or previous obesity strategies, and we cannot support much-criticised and unevaluated weight-loss policies. The Government must only use evidence- based policies in its Obesity Strategy. The Government should urgently commission an independent review of its Obesity Strategy to determine the evidence base for its policies within 3 months. It should publicly report the findings of this review within six months. We are disappointed to learn that there have been no reviews of the effectiveness of the current or previous obesity strategies, and we cannot support much-criticised and unevaluated weight-loss policies. The Government must only use evidence-based policies in its Obesity Strategy. (Paragraph 49) A positive body image for future generations
Government response summary AI-generated
The government highlights its existing, peer-reviewed evaluation strategy for the childhood obesity programme and states this approach will be reviewed and refreshed to cover adult obesity, but does not commit to urgently commissioning a new independent review of the strategy within 3 months.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
49. The Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) overarching, peer-reviewed evaluation strategy for the childhood obesity programme aims to maximise learning and feedback from what are clearly innovative interventions as well as supporting a wider programme of more cross-cutting research that will help us understand more about the systems that sustain and promote obesity and how ordinary people, particularly those from more deprived circumstances, are responding to our policies. Resources for the evaluation strategy come from a range of sources including the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), a flexible programme budget and by influencing and co-ordinating wider research activity conducted by academic and health systems collaborators. As the DHSC’s work extends to address adult obesity through its Weight Management Programme of investment and evidence building, this approach will be reviewed and refreshed to take on this wider scope.
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