Sunday May 19th 2013
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Activities:
The Danish Board of Technology is a part of an EU project to 1 billion Euro Information meeting for municipalities on comprehensive climate adaptation Theme meeting on the current energy policy in Denmark Successful dialogue meetings in Aarhus Municipality PACITA – Technology Assessment across Europe DESSI - Decision Support on Security Investments EST Frame - Integrated EST Framework Renewable Energy Systems: role and use of Parliamentary Technology Assessment Security of eGovernment Systems |
Obesity as a societal problem
This project was designed as a contribution to the obesity issue on a political level and provides an overview and clarification of the political tasks related to the obesity problem in Denmark. Furthermore the project will contribute to a dialogue in a structured process between politicians and obesity experts. Based on recommendations and proposals for actions dealing with obesity, the project investigates what actions give the best results and it makes suggestions for political action. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased with alarming speed over the past twenty years. It has recently been described by the World Health Organisation as a 'global epidemic'. In Europe around 40 % of the population will be obese by 2030 if the growth continues at the same pace.The obesity epidemic in Denmark has evolved over the last 40-50 years; a period where the Danish society has also changed radically. The community development and changes in lifestyle have led to a significant reduction in physical activity during work and leisure time as well as increased access to cheap food 24 hours a day. The pattern of the Danish obesity epidemic is similar to what is seen in other western countries, but the extent has not (yet) reached the levels of countries such as Australia, USA and England. Despite the large amount of research, development, documentation and proposals for action, and despite the fact that both experts and responsible politicians agree that it is necessary to do something, the obesity curve does not seem to break. The overall purpose of the project is to ensure an important and essential dialogue between politicians, experts and stakeholders to provide a clear picture of policy options and tasks associated with actions against the growing obesity problem. Parliamentary hearing about obesity as a social problem The Danish Board of Technology held a parliamentary hearing about obesity as a societal problem in October 2009 in collaboration with The Health Committee of the Danish Parliament. The overall purpose of the hearing was to create an overview and clarification of policy tasks related to reducing obesity in Denmark and debating what actions should be taken to ensure the best results. The hearing focused on the following questions: - Why is obesity a problem today? - What are the opportunities for treatment of obesity today? - How can prevention help to deal with obesity as a societal problem? - On what actions must a future strategy be based regarding treatment and prevention? The project runs over two years and in addition to the hearing the project will involve several workshops and / or seminars. Additional information about the project can be obtained from the project manager Anders Jacobi, aj@tekno.dk or project assistant Marie Petri, mp@tekno.dk Last update: 25-02-2013
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