“Help us eat healthier”: British consumers want professional support to improve diet, BDA survey finds

03 Jun 2019 --- UK residents would appreciate more access to professional dietary advice and support in order to follow healthier diets. The National and Diet Nutrition Survey from Public Health England (PHE) recently found that two-thirds of UK-based participants think that although general advice on healthy eating is clear, nearly 40 percent of respondents said they would appreciate access to a registered dietitian to help them meet their dietary goals. The survey also found that no age group actually meets its dietary recommendations. In response to this, the British Dietetic Association (BDA) is calling for the National Health Service UK (NHS) to provide more support so people eat healthily and minimize the burden of conditions that can be induced by poor nutrition.

The NHS currently employs fewer than 7,000 dietitians, meaning many people have to wait weeks to see a dietitian after being referred by a general practitioner (GP) or consultant. Dietitians have the behavior change skills and nutritional expertise to help people improve their diet in a practical and sustainable way, the BDA notes. 

“Dietetic services are overstretched and people are unable to access the help and advice they need,” says Chloe Adams, BDA Policy Officer for Professional Practice and recent BDA Trade Union representative in the NHS. “Even patients with diagnosed medical conditions have to wait long periods to receive support, let alone those who would benefit from support to prevent health problems further down the line.”

“Dietetic services across the UK are doing an amazing job but they could be doing much more. Bad diet is the single biggest lifestyle factor in determining ill health – even more than smoking – so it is ridiculous that we have so few health professionals who specialize in diet and nutrition, notes BDA Chair Caroline Bovey BEM. “This survey shows there is significant demand from the public and governments and commissioners need to ensure they are meeting this need.”

Dietary influence of TV and social media
The survey also showed that the majority of people continue to get their information about healthy eating from TV shows and social media rather than from expert, credible, trustworthy sources such as dietitians or doctors.

“It isn’t surprising that people are getting so much of their advice from online and on the TV, but the problem is this advice is often not based on scientific evidence,” says BDA spokesperson, Linia Patel. “The internet now means we’ve got access to more information than ever before, and it can be difficult to sift fact from fiction.”

While there are good sources of information online, such as NHS UK, Linia says she is often concerned by what she sees. “Some advice given online is at best incorrect and at worst outright dangerous. This is why it is so important that more people are able to access the services of a dietitian who will use the latest scientific evidence to help you find the best and healthiest way of eating for you.”

Obesity, diabetes and malnutrition
NHS figures show that 29 percent of the UK’s adult population is now obese, up from 26 percent in 2016, while research published in April highlighted how people with obesity are at a 70 percent higher risk of developing heart failure. The government also estimates that treating overweight and obesity costs the NHS more than £6 billion (US$6,70 billion) a year – and this is a conservative estimate. Moreover, 711,000 hospital admissions had obesity as a factor in 2019, which marks a 15 percent increase from 2016.

The number of people diagnosed with diabetes has also more than doubled in the past two decades and almost five million people now have diabetes, 90 percent of whom have Type 2 which is related to lifestyle factors, according to Diabetes UK. 

Stats also show that more people than ever are suffering the effects of malnutrition, with elderly people particularly impacted. Over three million people a year are suffering the effects of not eating enough, with 1.3 million of those being over the age of 65. It’s estimated that 30-42 percent of patients admitted to care homes are at risk of malnutrition. Being undernourished increases the risk of complications and frailty and increases the length of hospital stays.

UK policy reinforcing healthier eating habits
PHE evidence has shown that by the age of ten, UK children have already exceeded the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18-year-old. The release of these figures coincided with the launch of the Change4Life campaign from PHE, which encourages families to “make a swap when you next shop” in a bid to cut sugar consumption and renew focus on sugar reduction as a method to tackle childhood obesity.

In November 2018, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, implemented a ban on junk food advertisements across London’s public transportation network, Transport for London (TfL). The move received mixed reactions with health organizations supporting it and the advertising community deeming it ineffective.

In a bid to limit the adverse health effects of high sugar consumption and reduce obesity, the UK enacted a sugar tax on beverages in April 2018, which followed its food and beverage sugar-reduction plan from 2016. The latter challenged all sectors of the food industry – including retailers, manufacturers, restaurants, cafés and pub chains – to reduce by 20 percent the level of sugar in food formulations by 2020. Industry was also challenged to achieve a 5 percent reduction in the first year of the program which was not successful. 

According to a recent report, however, the imminent Brexit may create an opportunity to act further on sugar reduction. The report claims that the key to achieving a two-thirds cut in consumption is by producing less sugar and making it more expensive. In a direct challenge to industry, it states that reductions on this scale will not be achieved by edicts to reduce the amount people eat, but by new agriculture and trade policies that cut sugar supply as well as demand, including decreasing UK-grown sugar as well as slashing import volumes.