The government must take bold steps to make inroads in tackling Britain’s burgeoning childhood obesity and inactivity problem, which has ballooned after more than a decade of policy inertia.

That’s the view of wellness expert Stephen Morrison, whose latest blog for the British Journal of Sports Medicine notes that policymakers are no nearer to tackling the problems of childhood obesity and inactivity today than they were 12 years ago. Morrison – a lay adviser to the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (FSEM) and a Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Ambassador – says the government’s imminent Childhood Obesity Strategy needs to include direct interventions for promoting healthy eating and activity if it is to buck the trend of ineffectiveness.

To illustrate the point, he notes that practically all of the policy calls put forward in contemporary reports – particularly on obesity – were discussed in parliament as far back as the early Noughties. The Health Select Committee’s report in November on childhood obesity contained calls for curbs on junk food advertising, pricing, as well as sugar and fat content – all topics that were debated in parliament as far back as 2003.

“Solutions put forward over ten years ago, are still being called for in new reports,” writes Morrison.

“How many reports have to be submitted and how many groups of experts have to gather to discuss obesity and inactivity before recommendations become policy?”

He says that the passage of such time without progress demonstrates that the food industry cannot be trusted to regulate itself, and states government policy is the only way to effect change.

“The Responsibility Deal has had little effect and has confirmed that businesses are responsible only to their shareholders,” adds Morrison.

“Only through direct interventions, from government or consumers, will they alter their practices.”

The government’s Childhood Obesity Strategy – expected to be published this month – is highly anticipated by health and exercise professionals, with a range of measures expected to be introduced to promote healthier lifestyles and lighten the load on the NHS. The cost of physical inactivity in England has been estimated at £8.2bn a year by the government, while a study by McKinsey and Company found that obesity costs the UK economy nearly £47bn a year.

Morrison concludes: “The costs of obesity and inactivity are too high for these recommendations to be ignored again.