Body Mass Index should no longer be used to measure an individual’s healthy weight and the Obesity Strategy should be reviewed, according to a parliamentary report on body image published today.
Published today by the Women and Equalities Committee, the report also accuses the Government’s approach to lockdown has having a “devastating” impact on those with or at high risk of developing eating disorders.
The Committee said while BMI has increasingly been used as a health risk indicator in individual patients, it has contributed to eating disorders and has affected people’s mental health by disrupting body image and inviting social stigmas.
It concludes that BMI should be replaced by a “health at every size” approach, which prioritises health lifestyle choices.
Committee members also call the Government’s Obesity Strategy “dangerous” for people with negative body image because it potentially triggers eating disorders in the people it is designed to help, while the National Child Measurement Programme was singled out for being counterproductive and even “likely to cause harm”.
The report urges the Government to restrict or ban the use of altered images in advertisements because these photos promote unobtainable or unrepresentative body images and have a detrimental impact on mental health.
Caroline Nokes, chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, said: “Anyone can suffer with body dissatisfaction. Over the past 10 years, there has been a wealth of research and recommendations on how to tackle negative body image but Government action in this area is limited – we need to see urgent action.
“The use of BMI as a measure of healthy weight has become a kind of proxy or justification for weight shaming. This has to stop.
“We are particularly alarmed by the rise in eating disorders and concerned that the Obesity Strategy and data collection of obesity levels in kids make things worse by failing to promote healthy behaviours. The Government must ensure its policies are not contributing to body image pressures.
“Advertising and social media can cause negative body image if users are bombarded by ads which lack diverse representation. It’s paramount that people are protected from viewing consistently pressurising content online and that companies advertise their products responsibly.
“The pressure will intensify as gyms and beauty salons reopen on Monday. This may be exciting for some but it will be difficult for people who experience body image anxieties. It’s critical that Government action works towards improving body image.”
Other key recommendations in the report include: scrapping plans for calorie labels on food in restaurants, cafes, and takeaways; encouraging more diverse and representative images of people in advertising; working with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to ensure its work on body image is inclusive; reviewing why eating disorder rates are rising for men, women, children, ethnic minorities and older people; and researching the extent and impact of weight-based discrimination for people accessing NHS services.
Leave a Reply