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More on cancer and causes
Jul. 3rd, 2019 09:32 amOk, so it's probably just bad reporting, but this BBC article, states (for example):
Bowel cancer - Of around 42,000 new cases, being overweight or obese causes 4,800 - I make that 11%. The figures for other cancers are: Kidney (22.4% caused by excess weight), Liver (22%), Ovarian (6.5%!)
But from their own figures there are 14.9 million obese adults in the UK, which is 22.6% of the UK population. Once you add all the overweight people too - you could be talking 63% of the population or more.
I really *really* want to know how they are determining that it was someone's weight which caused their cancer, because surely they don't just mean all the other 37200 people were not overweight? There is definitely *something* missing from this equation.
As others have pointed out there are all sorts of reasons why this campaign is misguided. If it's about population level health it shouldn't be shaming people on billboards. Smoking is something you do, whereas being overweight is something you *are*. Weight loss is not a solved problem. It's horrible for those whose loved ones have cancer - even if they are thin. And it shames those who are overweight and have cancer *even if* their cancer is not linked to obesity (eg leukaemia).
They've even had advice on how to target obesity campaigns - and this is *not* it. I'm utterly furious with them - and with the press's reporting of it.
Bowel cancer - Of around 42,000 new cases, being overweight or obese causes 4,800 - I make that 11%. The figures for other cancers are: Kidney (22.4% caused by excess weight), Liver (22%), Ovarian (6.5%!)
But from their own figures there are 14.9 million obese adults in the UK, which is 22.6% of the UK population. Once you add all the overweight people too - you could be talking 63% of the population or more.
I really *really* want to know how they are determining that it was someone's weight which caused their cancer, because surely they don't just mean all the other 37200 people were not overweight? There is definitely *something* missing from this equation.
As others have pointed out there are all sorts of reasons why this campaign is misguided. If it's about population level health it shouldn't be shaming people on billboards. Smoking is something you do, whereas being overweight is something you *are*. Weight loss is not a solved problem. It's horrible for those whose loved ones have cancer - even if they are thin. And it shames those who are overweight and have cancer *even if* their cancer is not linked to obesity (eg leukaemia).
They've even had advice on how to target obesity campaigns - and this is *not* it. I'm utterly furious with them - and with the press's reporting of it.
