Estimates that half the UK population will be obese by 2050 "underestimate" the problem, a report has claimed. The National Obesity Forum said Britain was in danger of surpassing the prediction contained in a 2007 report. The lobbying group is calling for hard-hitting awareness campaigns, similar to the approach taken to smoking, to try to stem the problem.
Chairman Prof David Haslam said the crisis could get even worse than the "doomsday scenario" already set out.
The report stated: "It is entirely reasonable to conclude that the determinations of the 2007 Foresight Report, while shocking at the time, may now underestimate the scale of the problem."
The forum called for GPs to proactively discuss weight management with patients, and routinely measure children’s height and weight and adults’ waist size, it added.