The impact of body image on mental and physical health

Health and Social Care Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 1 Dec 2021 Closed: 6 Feb 2023 Parliament page
MPs will examine the relationship between people’s perception of their body image and their physical and mental health. They will consider how far people’s perception of body image can hinder access to NHS services and whether NHS training and Government messaging should be altered. Learn more about our work. Read more
19 Recommendations
7 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
1 Letter
3 Events
Activity timeline 9 events
7 Feb
2023
Report published
2 Aug
2022
Report published
8 Jun
2022
Correspondence
17 May
2022
Oral evidence
17 May
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Macmillan Room, Portcullis House
26 Apr
2022
Oral evidence
26 Apr
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
8 Mar
2022
Oral evidence
8 Mar
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
17 May 2022
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Charles King, lived experience witness Dr Angela Meadows · University of Essex Gillian Keegan MP · Department for Education Helen James · Nutriri Tam Fry · National Obesity Forum Zoe Seager · Department of Health and Social Care
26 Apr 2022
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Ashton Collins · Save Face Kim Booker, lived experience witness Lucy Thorpe · Mental Health Foundation Malcolm Phillips · Advertising Standards Authority Professor David Sines · Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners - The JCCP Professor James McVeigh · Manchester Metropolitan University Professor Jean McHale · University of Birmingham
8 Mar 2022
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Alex Light, Journalist and Influencer Dr Georgina Krebs · University College London Dr Stuart Flint · University of Leeds James Brittain-McVey, Lead Guitarist in the Vamps and Campaigner Nyome Nicholas-Williams, Model and Activist Professor Heather Widdows · University of Birmingham Professor Sandeep Ranote · Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Second Report - The impact of body image on mental and physical … HC 114 2 Aug 2022 26 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
10 results
Clear
7 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - The impact of body…
Develop national eating disorder strategy, increase funding, and address regional inequalities in care.
We recommend that the Government develops a national eating disorder strategy that aims to understand the causal mechanisms that lead to the development of eating disorders and earmarks adequate funding to bolster existing services as well as to increase investment … Read more
Government Response
The government's response entirely focused on Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) and anabolic steroid use, outlining work by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), instead of addressing the recommendation for a national eating disorder strategy, research, funding, and addressing regional inequalities in eating disorder care.
Department of Health and Social Care
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8 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - The impact of body…
Commission national review of anabolic steroid use and launch safe use awareness campaign.
We recommend that the Department commissions a national review of the growing use of anabolic steroids in England as it relates to body image. We further recommend that the Department introduces a national awareness campaign around safe anabolic steroid use. … Read more
Government Response
The government's response largely deflected the recommendation for a national review and awareness campaign on anabolic steroid use, instead focusing on the Online Advertising Programme (OAP) and its consideration of advertisements that contribute to body image concerns, and engagement with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on digitally altered images.
Department of Health and Social Care
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9 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - The impact of body…
Introduce legislation to mandate a logo label for all digitally altered commercial body images.
We call on the Government to work with advertisers to feature a wider variety of body aesthetics, and work with industry and the ASA to encourage advertisers and influencers not to doctor their images. We believe the Government should introduce … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the issue and commits to collaborating with other departments to gather robust evidence on screen time's impact before deciding whether to progress with a nationwide public health campaign. It does not commit to working with advertisers or introducing legislation for image labelling.
Department of Health and Social Care
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11 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - The impact of body…
Integrate body image training into medical, nursing, and parent-interacting professional programmes within two years.
We urge Health Education England, the General Medical Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council to collaborate with third sector organisations that are currently educating people about, and promoting awareness of, body image issues, and after a period of assessment, integrate … Read more
Government Response
The government's response does not address the recommendation to integrate body image training into medical, nursing, and midwifery curricula. Instead, it discusses the lack of plans for nationally required annual holistic health and wellbeing assessments and the existing health visiting and school nurse delivery model.
Department of Health and Social Care
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14 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - The impact of body…
Implement population-level policies to tackle obesity and immediately restrict unhealthy food multibuy deals.
We urge the Government to implement population-level policies that ensure healthier choices and lifestyles are made a priority in tackling obesity rates, rather than schemes that focus solely on weight loss and can engender weight stigma and result in adverse … Read more
Government Response
The government deflects the recommendation by detailing the National Institute for Health Research's (NIHR) existing portfolio of research on weight management and policy evaluations, and states that NIHR welcomes funding applications for various health topics but does not ring-fence funds.
Department of Health and Social Care
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15 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - The impact of body…
Obesity reduction requires tackling weight stigma alongside improving population health.
Throughout the inquiry, we have been aware of the importance and complexities involved in tackling obesity rates to improve population health and reducing weight stigma to not perpetuate mental and physical health issues.
Government Response
The government's response discusses the introduction of a licensing regime for non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including the scope of work and a plan for delivery by July 2023, but does not address the committee's conclusion regarding the importance of tackling obesity rates and reducing weight stigma.
Department of Health and Social Care
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16 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - The impact of body…
Integrate weight stigma training into healthcare curricula and review obesity campaign language.
We recommend that the Government undertakes an urgent review of its current campaigns related to obesity and alters any language or media used that fail to 36 The impact of body image on mental and physical health mention being underweight … Read more
Government Response
The government's response details guidance for doctors offering non-surgical cosmetic procedures and the importance of informed patient choice, but does not address the recommendation to review obesity campaigns for language or integrate weight stigma training into medical, nursing, and allied professional curricula.
Department of Health and Social Care
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17 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - The impact of body…
Fund research into tackling obesity, eliminating weight stigma, and weight-neutral interventions.
There needs to be further research to establish how best to tackle obesity while eliminating weight stigma and discrimination, and to establish the efficacy of weight- neutral interventions, and we recommend that the National Institute for Health Research put aside … Read more
Government Response
The government's response outlines plans to consider specific premises standards for non-surgical cosmetic procedures and work with the CQC to ensure consistency, but does not address the recommendation for the National Institute for Health Research to fund research on tackling obesity and weight stigma.
Department of Health and Social Care
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19 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - The impact of body…
Vulnerable individuals lack sufficient time to consider non-surgical cosmetic procedure decisions.
The dangers posed by non-surgical cosmetic procedures in vulnerable groups have been evident throughout the inquiry. The new licensing regime provides an opportunity to ensure that anyone planning to undertake a non-surgical cosmetic procedure has the time and space to … Read more
Government Response
The government explained the current regulation of dermal fillers as products by the MHRA, mentioning that the MHRA intends to introduce more stringent rules for aesthetic and non-medical products, but stated there are no plans to make dermal fillers prescription-only.
Department of Health and Social Care
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22 Recommendation Deferred
Second Report - The impact of body…
Minimum education and training standards for non-surgical cosmetic practitioners are currently lacking.
We are convinced that there is a need for a minimum standard to be met in regards to the education and training of practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures. It is essential to ensure patient safety, and thus should be … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees on the need for suitable training and nationally recognised standards for non-surgical cosmetic practitioners. They will work with stakeholders, including JCCP, to consider whether further education and training requirements are necessary, rather than committing to a specific new regulatory framework.
Department of Health and Social Care
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Government Response AI assessment · 26 of 19 classified
Accepted 6
Acknowledged 6
Deferred 10
Rejected 4
Total 19 recs + 7 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
8 Jun 2022 Correspondence from the Minister of State for Care and Mental Health following up from the evidence session on The impact of body image on mental and physical health on 17 May 2022
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