Impact of poor public health on business

The UK has the highest level of obesity in Europe. In the run up to the next election, public health will be the main feature of party political health policy. The Government has said that the public health threat posed by obesity in the UK is a "potential crisis on the scale of climate change". Meanwhile, the Tories will rename the Health Secretary the Public Health Secretary to show its commitment to tackling the issues of public health if they win the next election.

We'd like to know if businesses view public health issues as the timebomb politicians would have us believe them to be. The debate in Westminster is dominated by the cost of poor public health to the NHS, but what is the cost to business?

Are public health issues like obesity, alcoholism and drug misuse having a negative impact on your business? Should business be worried about the fact that the UK is lagging so far behind the rest of Europe in tackling these challenges? We'd like to hear from you.

The debate is an international one. Since April this year employers in Japan have been told by their Government that if they don't combat workforce obesity they will face fines.

Thank you very much for taking a few minutes to answer the following questions:

Q1 Is obesity increasingly becoming an issue in your business environment?         Yes   No Q2 Has Government or your local NHS provided enough information to help you promote healthy eating and physical exercise in the workplace?         Yes   No Q3 Have you made provisions to tackle obesity in the workplace?         Yes   No Q4 Has tackling obesity in your workplace cost your business any money?         Yes   No Q5 In which region is your business located in the UK?         Please Select:East MidlandsEast of EnglandLondonNorth EastNorth WestNorthern IrelandOffshoreScotlandSouth EastSouth WestWalesWest MidlandsYorkshire and The Humber

Thank you for taking the time to help us with this poll.