Waist Check

I am on the threshold of a new attempt to get fitter and slimmer this summer. I have pre-committed to a two month gym membership close to my holiday home and signed up for a couple of long distance walks .... it ought to make a difference .... but I might still struggle to make the cut in Japan where a new law has come in place stipulating maximum waist sizes for men and women.

The New York Times reports that

“Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population. Those exceeding government limits — 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women, which are identical to thresholds established in 2005 for Japan by the International Diabetes Federation as an easy guideline for identifying health risks — and having a weight-related ailment will be given dieting guidance if after three months they do not lose weight. If necessary, those people will be steered toward further re-education after six more months.”

Libertarian paternalism gone OTT or a realistic and concerted effort to control the burgeoning scale of obesity and obesity-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes?

More here