The Spanish Ministry of Health has recently announced a massive state-level anti-obesity programme designed to combat the problem in Spain. The programme is launched today given the following rising statistics: Overweight and obesity rates for adults are 41% and 30% respectively in Spain[1].

“We will have a communications campaign that we will call ‘Salud para Todos’ or simply ‘Health for All.’ That will involve mass media education, legal and regulatory improvements, and community organizing.” Health Minister Ana María Mateos was alarmed about this problem: “Obesity is one of the most pressing issues in terms of public health, which not only influences the quality of an individual’s life but also has a stressful impact on our health care system. This is a worrying trend, and as a nation, we must make adjustments to stop the situation from worsening the general health of the population.

Among the campaign activities there is a line of television and social media advertisement spots, in which Spanish movie stars and sportsmen tell their life experiences of how they manage their obesity. These ads will include simple dietary and activity messages, in the hope of prompting the audience to do something about this situation.

Besides the public awareness campaign, the Ministry of Health is in the process of working with schools throughout the country to adopt new nutrition standards and raise physical education standards. It will also offer grants to set up green spaces where the inhabitants of cities districts can buy fresh food and exercise.

Many medical associations and health organisations across the whole country of Spain have endorsed the campaign. Dr. Carlos Jiménez, the president of the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity added that the lines of actions pointed out by the government are useful and effective instruments that can improve the lives of those people who suffer from obesity.

Thus, concerning the economic factors influencing the consumption of unhealthy products, the authorities are discussing the possibility of levying a special tax on soft drinks and other products containing excessive amounts of sugar with the addition of taxes on products containing highly saturated fats. Money collected from this tax would go towards creating new and more health and wellness initiatives.

The program of intellectuals for “Salud para Todos” will also incorporate early intervention with special intervention on childhood obesity. The trend in recent data points to 16 percent of children in Spain currently engaging in a diet for weight loss[1]. This shows that much more needs to be done to increase awareness of healthy eating habits among children.

Through it,will involve paediatricians and family doctors with the Ministry of Health offering special training on childhood obesity prevention and management. Also new is a dedicated, smartphone application aimed at developing programmes for nutrition and exercise for families seeking to introduce positive lifestyle changes.

Not that the campaign has not had its share of controversies and criticisms. The proposed food taxes and regulations have elicited some apprehension among some industry groups with regard to the economy. In response, Minister Mateos underlined that the government is focused on cooperation with all stakeholders to seek fair solutions that motivate both the public health and the local entrepreneurs.

Health officials are hopeful that the coming rollout of the “Salud para Todos” campaign will help people across the nation improve their lives. As an educational, policy-oriented, and community-based programmatic intervention, the initiative translated into a major advance in the national fight against obesity and for a healthier Spain.

The results of the campaign are going to be evaluated on a regular basis in the months and years to come in order to check its efficiency and to make amendments. Now that Spain is setting out to work on this audacious public health issue, the global community will be waiting to see whether or not this integrated approach is the way to go for other nations experiencing similar problems.