Issue Obesity consolidating as a structural public health challenge tied to income

Summary

The report warns that, unlike falling tobacco and alcohol use, obesity could become entrenched as one of Spain's main structural public health challenges. Households with fewer resources in particular struggle with limited access to useful nutritional information, tight budgets and a food supply in which the cheapest option is usually the most calorific. Office work and screen time have also spread sedentary lifestyles. Preventing this requires policies that promote active mobility and improve the availability, accessibility and appeal of healthy food. Spain's health promotion and prevention strategy and its national plan to reduce childhood obesity can serve as a foundation. The report argues that reshaping schools, neighbourhoods and municipalities to make healthy choices easier and reduce inequality could cut illness and death from cancer, heart disease and chronic lung conditions.