Sir, on 27 July 2020, the Department of Health and Social Care published a new obesity strategy aiming to improve the nation's health.1 This comes at a time when evidence has linked those with excess weight to being at a greater risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19.
Amongst a number of new measures, the strategy includes a ban on TV and online adverts before 9 pm for foods high in fat, salt and sugar. This is great news for young children who would otherwise be bombarded with inappropriate adverts for junk food. Hopefully these new measures will have a domino effect on the oral health of children by reducing sugar consumption and the incidence of dental caries.
Reference
GOV UK. Press release: New obesity strategy. Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-obesity-strategy-unveiled-as-country-urged-to-lose-weight-to-beat-coronavirus-covid-19-and-protect-the-nhs (accessed July 2020).
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Ehsan, O. A welcome change. Br Dent J 229, 149 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-2006-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-2006-8