Bright Blue TV: The big issue?

Join Bright Blue on Friday afternoon for the next episode of Bright Blue TV on the theme: The big issue?

The Covid-19 pandemic has renewed the focus of government and health officials on the broader health of the nation, particularly the prevelance of obesity. Obesity has been associated with an increased risk of severe illness and death with Covid-19, and the Prime Minister blamed himself for being “too fat” when he was forced to enter intensive care with the virus last year. Obesity is also linked to an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, strokes and some cancers. The Government has set out a new strategy to tackle obesity, such as by introducing a watershed on advertising unhealthy foods, changing labelling on food and drink, and publishing calories on menus. These new measures have been broadly welcomed by health authorities, but critics have argued that what we choose to eat or drink is no business of government. There are also concerns about the rise in eating disorders and mental health conditions, especially among young people, that might be exacerbated by well-meaning measures to combat obesity. Is the Government right to do more to tackle this big issue, or does intervention intrude too much into the personal lives of citizens, or even risk causing unintended harm?

This episode of Bright Blue TV is hosted by Senior Researcher of Bright Blue, Phoebe Arslanagić-Wakefield. In this episode, she will be joined by the Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Christopher Snowdon, the Head of Campaigns at Parliament Street and Chair of MaleVoicED, Danny Bowman, and the co-founder of 50:50 Parliament and final year PhD student at the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, Dolly Theis.