UK urges people to adopt a healthier lifestyle and reduce Lockdown weight gains

The UK government has encouraged citizens to engage in fitness regimes after people report complications due to weight gain during the lockdown. UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has also urged people to work on their "increasing waistlines" and cut down on unhealthy eating as the country witnesses extension in lockdown. According to a survey conducted on approximately 5,000 people by pollster Opinium from July 2 to July 8, about 41 percent of adults in the UK said that they have gained weight since the first lockdown in March 2020. Improper diet plans and comfort meals like snacks and beverages were the main factors for weight gain, the survey reports added.

According to another study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), social lockdown in the UK has had a "disproportionately large influence on weight-related behaviours among adults." The study conducted by the Health and Life Sciences Research Ethics Committee at the University of Liverpool recruited over 2300 participants among which 32 percent were classified as "having obesity." The weight management barriers were usually found to be "eaten more because of my feelings," the study reported.

Health Experts say lockdown weight gain is 'No Surprise'

Health experts expressed little wonder about the fact that more people complained of increased weight and obesity. Chief Nutritionist of Public Health, England, Alison Tedstone mentioned that the condition is "not surprising" since many people have changed their meal habits in the past 16 months. Public Health Minister Jo Churchill acknowledged the "challenging" factor of the pandemic and said that the government wants people to adopt a healthier lifestyle and work on the lockdown weight gain. Lastly, PM Boris Johnson's government has made repetitive efforts to highlight public health issues during the lockdown. It has also attempted to address a backlog of operations and other procedures in the National Health Services (NHS).

An effort to help Europeans "slim down"

Since May, the UK government has tried to adopt different solutions to curb siding obesity levels in the country. An average weight gain reported was about 4 kilograms or over half a stone. The government has also proposed a limit on junk food commercials on televisions as a measure to promote healthy eating habits. The NHS is also said to make efforts to help Europeans "slim down." According to health experts, the NHS will run TV ads and offer healthy recipe ideas to replace calories with high fiber and starchy carbohydrates.

(Input: NHS(UK), NCBI, Opinium)