Cancer adds further urgency to prioritising obesity control

A whole-of-government response to fostering healthier communities, including initiatives to support increased physical activity, must also be built into a national obesity strategy.

Consideration of the options for reducing obesity draws historical comparisons with the experience of tobacco control in the early 1970s. While minimising the use of tobacco (which has no safe consumption level) differs in many ways from reducing junk-food consumption (which is low risk if consumed in moderation), there are compelling parallels.

The disease burdens related to both tobacco and obesity are disproportionately prevalent among disadvantaged population groups. Tackling both smoking and obesity requires a combination of research, policy, social marketing and program-based interventions. And, of particular interest to the debate on food advertising, there are commercial interests with a clear stake in maximising junk-food consumption, just as there are in maximising tobacco consumption.

Moreover, public health advocates cite “de-normalisation” as a key to Australia’s historical success in reducing tobacco consumption. It could be argued that excessive junk-food consumption is effectively “normalised” at an early age by the sheer volume of advertising pitched at children.

An important lesson from tobacco control is that an array of modest government interventions to influence healthy behaviour will fall well short of their potential if they must compete with big-budget advertising from industry encouraging unhealthy choices; smoking rates in Australia dropped markedly when broadcast advertising of tobacco was phased out in the mid 1970s.

With an increasing incidence of cancer, now is the time for a range of tough decisions that will modify dietary behaviour and put public health before corporate interests.