[Alma Mata] IISH Public Seminar Series - 1 July 2008

[Nina Grant]

* Please bring this invite with you 
* Please note the venue details

International Institute for Society and Health
2008 Public Seminar Series

You are invited to attend on:

Tuesday 1 July 2008,  5pm - 6.30pm

Panel Discussion: Obesity and inequality: what hope for change?

Panel Members
Helen Croker: Research Dietitian, UCL Health Behaviour Research Centre.
Member of clinical guidance group for the NICE obesity guidelines.

Tim Lang: Professor of Food Policy, City University. Advisor to the
Foresight Obesity programme and member of the Sustainable Development
Commission.

Tim Lobstein: Director of the IASO child obesity programme and leader of
POLMARK, a European Commission funded project on policies on marketing of
food to children.

Martin McKee : Professor of European Public Health, LSHTM. Research
director of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies;
project leader of a 6th Framework coordination action EURO-PREVOB for the
prevention of obesity

Panel Chair:
Eric Brunner: Reader in Epidemiology & Public Health, Co-Director of the
UCL Health & Society Summer School

Abstract
Overweight and obesity have become a major public health issue in UK and
Europe. The Foresight report (2007) came to the conclusion that "obesity
is a complex, multifaceted problem with no easy or obvious solutions". In
other words, reversal of the upward trend will be slow and will
necessarily involve interventions at several levels. A vital aspect of the
debate concerns the distribution of responsibility for solutions among
individuals and families, business and government. How can obesogenic
environments be converted into leptogenic environments? Even in France
with its strong tradition of food culture, obesity prevalence has risen
and the socioeconomic obesity gap has widened over the past decade. How to
reverse the growing link between social disadvantage and weight gain?
Income inequality and food insecurity are growing, making cheap
energy-dense foods an attractive purchase for people on low incomes. The
expert panel will lead discussion on public health dimensions of the
issue: (1) effectiveness of weight loss interventions, (2) structural and
cultural causes of obesity, (3) childhood obesity and UK policy responses,
and (4) emerging EU policy on obesity and inequalities in obesity.


This seminar will be held at UCL and is part of the UCL Health & Society
2008 Summer School. It is free, but space is limited. NO NEED TO RSVP.
Arrive promptly to secure a seat. Please contact us if you have any
special needs. Seminar venue:

UCL Old Refectory (under the UCL dome), UCL Main Gates, Gower Street, WC1E
6BT . Nearest Underground station Euston Square. Warren St and Goodge St
are also within walking distance.  
Email: iish at ucl.ac.uk   
Refreshments at 6.30pm after the seminar.

You may access audio recordings of our some past seminars at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/iish/seminars.htm