Spotlight on obesity in Wales
The Institute of Welsh Affairs is organising a special conference on 'Wales’s Obesity Epidemic'. The event is being held in association Academy Health Wales, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the National Heart Forum on Wednesday 22nd February 2012, 9.15am - 4.00pm, at the Management Centre, Llandaff Campus Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff. More than 50 per cent of adults in Wales are obese or overweight, a statistic that is predicted to increase to 85 per cent by 2020 unless remedial action is taken. Wales is the most overweight country within the United Kingdom where obesity has more than doubled in the last 25 years. It is predicted that on current trends, some 60 per cent of men and 50 per cent of women in Britain could be obese by 2050. This is estimated to represent a seven-fold increase in direct healthcare costs associated with excess weight, with wider costs to society reaching £45 billion a year. Obesity increases risks for chronic disease, i...