Environments and Wider Society

Creating supportive spaces for healthier lives

Our environments play a crucial role in shaping our health. Many urban environments discourage active lifestyles, with limited green spaces, and unsafe walking and cycling routes. In wider society, social norms reinforced by the media perpetuate obesity stigma, while employers do not always prioritise health and wellbeing of staff.

Our call to action

To create healthier environments and change societal attitudes, we need:

• Urban planning and local government action:
  • Develop public green spaces that encourage active recreation and sport for people of all ages and abilities.
• Supportive transport systems:
  • Promote active travel by designing safe and accessible walking and cycling routes.
  • Implement policies that support public transport use and reduce car dependency.
• Incentives for physical activity:
  • Introduce fiscal measures such as reduced tax on sporting goods and subsidies for extracurricular physical activity programmes.
• An end to stigma in the workplace:
  • Encourage employers to prioritise health and wellbeing, promoting inclusivity and challenging obesity-related stigma.
• New media narratives:
  • Work with media outlets to promote positive and accurate portrayals of obesity, focusing on systemic change rather than individual blame.

By transforming our built environments, workplaces and media narratives, we can create support physical and mental health, reduce obesity stigma, and encourage communities to thrive.