Obesity in the UK: A review and comparative analysis of policies within the devolved administrations

In the United Kingdom obesity is a significant public problem and the formulation and implementation of policies to address it are primarily the responsibility of the devolved administrations. Containing populations which are broadly similar, albeit with regional differences, devolution allows for the exploration of the obesity policy directions the different UK countries have taken; thus providing opportunities for policy learning and comparison. A review and analysis of policy responses in the devolved administrations reveals differences in the strategic approaches to tackling obesity with England having recently introduced a population-wide strategy in contrast to the other countries. Further, policies to address obesity in England and Northern Ireland are being target driven in contrast to Scotland and Wales. In all the countries, the focus on obesity has been on addressing childhood obesity with Scotland having taken the lead on setting nutritional standards for school meals and the other countries subsequently following. While devolution has provided scope for the variation in responses to address the obesity epidemic in the UK, it is still too early to determine the impact of the different strategic approaches being used to tackling it.