Toast-Uk.org
Title
Toast - be part of the solution
Description
TOAST was started as a non-profit making organisation in 1998 and received charitable status in 2001. The primary aim of the Charity has always been to ensure that people whose lives are affected by obesity have an impact on policies and treatment, and to this end the main work that we undertook initially was to raise the issues of obesity and overweight as a matter for policy makers to take seriously.
People told us that they were finding the key message of just eat less and exercise more messages unhelpful, and that they didn't find that they were getting the support and information they needed. Twenty years ago, anorexia was treated as a matter of under-eating and the first line treatment was force-feeding; it is now recognised that this condition is a serious and complex illness requiring psychological as well as physiological input. Similarly, we recognise that obesity, rather than being just a matter of taking less food in, is a complex, multifaceted problem and that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
It became apparent that not only was there a lack of understanding by politicians and doctors, but by society as a whole. We have been extremely successful in raising obesity in the political arena and TOAST together with other lobbyists played a major role in the initiation of the House of Commons Health Select Committee inquiry into Obesity. Whilst we recognize the importance of continued lobbying, we are also aware that many decisions are being made concerning the approaches to the treatment and prevention of obesity are based on the medical model of treatment; most strategies involve either diet-and-exercise advice or medication, and yet the wider picture is still being missed. Without effective solutions, the problem is getting worse and millions of people are at risk of either dying prematurely or having a lifetime of both physical and mental health illness.
Contact
- g-box systems
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- Sawbridgeworth Essex
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland CM219JX
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- +44.08454564480
