This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

UK Department of Health to invest £5 million for obesity policy research

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

The U.K. Department of Health has announced £5 million funding to create a new obesity policy research unit at University College London to explore childhood obesity and deliver a plan for managing the condition, according to a Department of Health and Public Health England press release.

The unit will advise policy makers and look at the causes of childhood obesity, with a focus on social inequalities and marketing to children and families.

“Too many of our children are growing up obese, which can lead to serious health complications,” Philip Dunne, minister of state for health, said in the release. “We all have a responsibility to help people live healthier lives, but with a third of children leaving primary school obese we must take a comprehensive approach and now focus on excess calories. This can only be done through strong guidance, grounded in evidence.”