Health watchdog warn doctors not to blame obese patients for being fat

Doctors have been warned to refrain from blaming and pointing the finger at patients for being overweight or obese.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have created new draft guidance for tackling obesity, and in particularly the correct manner in dealing with obese patients. In the past NICE have asked doctors to actually stop saying the word “obese” as it may be deemed “derogatory”.

All doctors, GPs and other health professionals should now strive for a more sensitive tone which is “respectful” and “non-blaming” as this will “minimise harm”, according to the health watchdog.
Rather than looking at short-term and temporary weight loss, the guidance on lifestyle weight management programmes will aim to help overweight and obese people to both lose weight and then maintain the healthier weight, focusing on achievable goals, with positive long-term lifestyle changes.

NICE advise that more patients should be referred “lifestyle weight management” programmes such as Weight Watchers as programmes which thoroughly assess their diet, levels of activity and behaviour may save money in the long-term. Specifically, adults with a BMI in excess of 30 kg/m² and those identified as overweight or obese through the NHS Health Check or other services should be referred to these programmes.

Obesity is linked to a huge range of serious health problems such as type-2 diabetes, certain cancers (e.g. breast and prostate cancer), arthritis, heart disease (from smoking and high cholesterol), infertility, asthma, back pain, depression and kidney disease.

NICE say that such conditions, and the many more that have been linked to obesity, place a massive strain on the already stretched NHS, costing an estimated £5.1 billion each and every year and “placing a huge strain on the health service”.

Professor Mike Kelly, director of the centre for public health at Nice, said: “Being overweight or obese can have serious consequences for an individual’s health, not only physically with increased risk of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, but it can also affect their mental health as a result of stigma and bullying or discrimination. Levels of obesity in England are rising, with a little over a quarter of adults classified as obese and a further 41% of men and 33% of women overweight.
Professor Kelly continued: “This is a huge proportion of our population. This new draft guidance focuses on the provision of effective lifestyle weight management services and makes a number of recommendations to ensure that the providers of programmes whether from the private, public, or voluntary sector follow good, evidence-based practice.This draft guidance isn’t about quick fixes, it is about ensuring lifestyle weight management services support people in the long-term. Programmes that address diet, activity and behaviour change can help people who are obese lose weight but they are only cost-effective if the weight is kept off.”

Average Brit only diets after reaching 13st 10lbs

If you are overweight or obese and are now deciding to lose weight, what are your motivators for doing so? Maybe it’s the dangerous health risks involved with carrying extra weight such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. Or maybe you could have received a shock upon seeing a holiday picture, or simply want to look more appealing to the opposite sex.

Whatever the trigger is for deciding to lose weight, it seems that compared to previous years, it now takes Brits a lot more gained weight before we open our eyes and realise something needs to be done about the situation – what has been referred to as ‘fat blindness’.

New figures indicate that it takes until the scales tip 13st 10lbs until the average person decides that they need to spring into action and rectify their spiralling weight.

Weight Watchers have compiled statistics that give an interesting insight into when people decided to lose weight in the current day compared to years gone by. The weight loss group document the weight of all new members upon subscription – primarily women, but some men do sign-up to Weight Watchers as well.

The stats show that average start weight of the group’s members has been gradually increasing since 1989 when the figure stood at just over 12 stone to the 13st 10lb it stands at today – representing  a rise of over 10%.

With regards to Body Mass Index (BMI), the average new member’s starting weight has gone up from 29.2 in 1989 to 32 in the present day. Therefore, the average weight of a new Weight Watchers member is more often than not going to be classed as obese (with a BMI of over 30) and last year alone there were a staggering 850,000 new members joining to Weight Watchers groups all around the UK.

However, it gets worse. Shocking figures to emerge yesterday from the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre claim that 65% of men and 58% of women are now classed as overweight or obese. It seems Britain’s obesity epidemic shows no signs of improving anytime soon.

Weight Watchers say that these are the top seven reasons that prompt people to lose weight:

. Unflattering photos.
. Poor health.
. Friends or family losing weight.
. Not wanting to be fat for a milestone birthday.
. Wanting to keep up with children or grandchildren.
. Being called names in the street.
. Getting married.

Zoe Hellman, Head of Public Health at Weight Watchers said: “The inability to recognise what an overweight or obese body looks like is a symptom of how out of touch we are with a healthy weight and shape. We’re suffering from ‘fat blindness’, which is causing people to delay seeking help until they are significantly overweight. Where obesity was the exception, sadly it is rapidly becoming the rule. It’s time to buck the trend. We’re here to help people make a positive change in their lives by teaching them to make smarter, better informed food choices for long term, sustainable weight loss. Though losing weight may be daunting, especially for those with a significant amount of weight to lose, dropping just 5-10 per cent of your body weight can significantly improve your health. It’s natural to judge ourselves based on comparisons of those around us. So unfortunately, the more people who are overweight and obese, the more ‘normal’ it becomes. This phenomenon helps to make being overweight much more acceptable, reducing any pressure to make healthy lifestyle changes or seek support. It may also mean those who are overweight fail to recognise they have a problem with their weight at all.”