Obesity is a problem that affects man and machine – and it is one that is growing in size, reaching epidemic proportions. Doing nothing is not an option – so University of Leicester world class researchers are applying their efforts to combat a rising tide of obesity.

Obesity has now become a worldwide epidemic. Its prevalence has trebled in the last 20 years, and currently over half of women and two-thirds of men in the UK are either overweight or obese.

The condition is linked to major health problems particularly cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus type 2, some cancers, sleep apnoea and osteoarthritis.

And Leicester researchers have warned there is worse to come- the lifestyle of young people today means that the West is sitting on a ticking time bomb with a whole new generation storing up illnesses for the future.

Leicester academics have been involved in developing national guidelines addressing both the prevention and treatment of obesity in adults and children.

University of Leicester Professor Richard Baker, Head of Health Sciences, said: “Obesity is a major national health problem. We must act to protect the health of our children.

“Schools, employers and local authorities have a key part to play in creating an environment in which appropriate exercise becomes a routine part of people’s lives. Health professionals need to encourage changes to people’s diet and lifestyle when necessary, but despite these sensible measures drug treatment and even surgery will sometimes be needed.”

His concerns are echoed by fellow researchers at the University whose study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, reveals that the level of physical inactivity among children today has reached epidemic levels.

They published the results of one of the largest studies of physical activity levels of inner city school children.

For example only half of the 3,500 children surveyed walked to school although south Asian children were less likely to walk to school compared to white children. Furthermore, half the pupils spent 4 hours or more a day watching television or videos or playing computer games.

Professor Kamlesh Khunti said: “Inactive behaviour, such as watching television, may predict subsequent adult overweight and obesity in children and adolescents.

"This study shows that overall the physical activity levels in inner city school children are very low and parents, schools and community health providers need to address the results of these findings to reduce their future risks of developing diabetes and heart disease in children.”

The answer clearly is to get down to the gym… or is it?

Research by Dr Jennifer Smith Maguire, from the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Leicester, highlights the paradox of fitness and exercise industries expanding alongside problems of inactivity and obesity.

Her study reveals that the fitness industry benefits from concerns over the health of the nation, but is ill-equipped to deal with them.

She points to the class delineation of health clubs where the affluent can afford the best, and an emphasis on leisure as an individual pursuit to be conducted in your leisure time – as opposed to collective fitness and recreation that is part of everyday life.

“Inactivity and obesity are collective, not individual, problems, and they require collective solutions,” she said.

Dr Smith Maguire adds: “The emphasis in the fitness field tends to be on exercise as a means to some other end: a slimmer, more attractive, healthier body.

“What is not promoted are the pleasures of exercise and fitness as ends in themselves – but such intrinsic notions of pleasure are in short supply in the fitness industry, and our culture more broadly.”

Obesity problems have, in a figurative sense, also arisen in a more unexpected area – in computer software.

Now researchers from the University are collaborating with ATX Software, a company that develops technology that supports re-engineering of legacy systems, in devising new methods and techniques that can be used to keep software agile and fit for purpose.

Professor José Luiz Fiadeiro, Head of Computer Science, said: “In modern terms, we could say that software becomes “obese” as it lets “fat” accumulate, for instance, old code that is no longer necessary. As a result, applications become less and less efficient, more and more difficult to change. And, when this happens, systems begin to lack the agility, flexibility, and responsiveness that companies require to address the fierce competition and market volatility that characterises business today.”

While Leicester is paving the way for ‘lean machines’ in the future, researchers still have a long way to go to fight the flab plaguing many western and industrialised nations.

Source: By University Of Leicester