Vilifying the extremely fat doesn't make them change their behaviour, said Health Secretary Alan Johnson MP at a lecture to the Fabian Society on public health.  In his speech the Secretary of State called for a national movement to tackle obesity, and set out the role of government in supporting people to take control of their own health.

"Commentators who point and shout at pictures of the morbidly obese simply fuel the problem. Those whose seriously unhealthy lifestyles are not advertised by their waste lines will simply say: "Well that's not me. I don't need to change what I do." But if you present the message more intelligently - if you explain to parents that many children, regardless of their size, have dangerous levels of fat in their arteries or around their organs, and this may reduce their life expectancy by up to 11 years - then people respond," said Mr Johnson.

To read a full copy of Alan Johnson's speech please click here

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