Abstract
The physical inactivity pandemic that has engulfed us is now a public health problem on the same scale as smoking, poor nutrition, and alcohol use and therefore needs a similarly robust approach. Action is required on a wide and impactful scale to reverse this trend before it cripples us as a country and leads to a “charged for NHS.” There is no simple answer, but what is evident is that people will not behave rationally when faced with the facts. The role of business and brands, which sell unhealthy products, is an uncomfortable one, but pragmatism should prevail when combating such a large-scale and pressing issue as obesity and physical inactivity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Reference
Health and Social Care Information Centre. Health Survey for England – 2008. Published Dec 17, 2009. Available from: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/hse08physicalactivity.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer-Verlag London
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Turok, F. (2014). Overcoming Sloth. In: Haslam, D., Sharma, A., le Roux, C. (eds) Controversies in Obesity. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2834-2_35
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2834-2_35
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-2833-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-2834-2
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)