The RCP is a founding member of the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA), a coalition of over 40 influential organisations working together to reduce obesity; one of the UK’s biggest public health challenges.
The RCP along with eight other health organisations sits on the steering group which leads the OHA; committed to the prevention of obesity-related ill-health by sharing expertise and insight, developing and advocating evidence-based policy recommendations and influencing decision makers and the media.
Established in 2015, the OHA has lobbied government policy on a range of issues:
- Pre watershed junk food marketing on live and on-demand TV
- Healthier food and drink products promoted in prominent locations in shops
- Mandatory calorie labelling
- Sugar reduction in food
- Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), payable by manufacturers to HMRC – which became law in 2018.
The coronavirus pandemic has heightened public interest in obesity; the OHA revealed in June 2020, that in light of the potential link between obesity and COVID-19 there is now increasing public support for the government to prioritise action on reducing obesity.
You can read more about this public opinion research and the work of the OHA here.