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Found 49 results
  1. Content Article
    An estimated 1.3 billion people—16% of the global population—experience a significant disability today. People with disabilities have the right to the highest standard of health, however, this report by the World Health Organization (WHO) demonstrates that while some progress has been made in recent years, many people with disabilities continue to die earlier and have poorer health than others. The report demonstrates how these poor health outcomes are due to unfair conditions faced by people with disabilities in all areas of life, including in the health system itself.
  2. News Article
    The number of people under 40 in the UK being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is rising at a faster pace than the over-40s, according to “shocking” and “incredibly troubling” data that experts say exposes the impact of soaring obesity levels. The UK ranks among the worst in Europe with the most overweight and obese adults, according to the World Health Organization. On obesity rates alone, the UK is third after Turkey and Malta. The growing numbers of overweight and obese children and young adults across the UK is now translating into an “alarming acceleration” in type 2 diabetes cases among those aged 18 to 39, analysis by Diabetes UK suggests. There is a close association between obesity and type 2 diabetes. There is a seven times greater risk of type 2 diabetes in obese people compared with those of healthy weight, and a threefold increase in risk for those just overweight. “This analysis confirms an incredibly troubling growing trend, underlining how serious health conditions related to obesity are becoming more and more prevalent in a younger demographic,” Chris Askew, the chief executive of Diabetes UK, said. He added: “While it’s important to remember that type 2 diabetes is a complex condition with multiple other risk factors, such as genetics, family history and ethnicity, these statistics should serve as a serious warning to policymakers and our NHS. “They mark a shift from what we’ve seen historically with type 2 diabetes and underline why we’ve been calling on the government to press ahead with evidence-based policies aimed at improving the health of our nation and addressing the stark health inequalities that exist in parts of the UK.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 1 November 2022
  3. News Article
    People could die because of Thérèse Coffey’s “ultra-libertarian ideological” reluctance to crack down on smoking and obesity, a Conservative ex-health minister has warned. The strongly worded criticism of the health secretary came from Dr Dan Poulter, a Tory MP and NHS doctor who served as a health minister in the coalition government from 2012 to 2015. Poulter claims Coffey’s “hostility to what the extreme right call ‘nanny statism’” is stopping her from taking firm action against the “major killers” of tobacco and bad diet. His intervention – in an opinion piece for the Guardian – was prompted by Coffey making clear that she opposed banning adults from smoking in cars containing children, even though the practice was outlawed in 2015 and is credited with reducing young people’s exposure to secondhand smoke. The government’s widely anticipated scrapping of measures to curb obesity such as the sugar tax and ditching of the tobacco control plan and health inequalities white paper – both of which previous health ministers had promised to publish – have led Poulter to brand Coffey’s stance “deeply alarming”. He writes: “More smoking and more obesity means more illness, more pressure on the NHS and shorter lives, particularly amongst the poorest in society. “I am acutely concerned that the health secretary’s ideological hostility to what history shows is government’s potentially very positive role in protecting us against these grave threats to our health will exacerbate the problems they already pose. “At its worst such a radically different approach to public health could cost lives, as it will inevitably lead to more people smoking and becoming dangerously overweight.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 18 October 2022
  4. News Article
    The Government’s national obesity campaign risked turning fat-shaming into "wilful political strategy", said two humanities researchers in a new paper published in Sociology of Health and Illness. The Tackling Obesity campaign, launched by the Government "to improve health and protect the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic", was "unproductive", "ineffective", "irresponsible", and could have led to "fat-shaming", they said. Moreover, the Government "perpetuated the neoliberal view that good health is essentially a matter of individual achievement earned through lifestyle choices and behaviour" - ignoring "the multiple structural and socioeconomic factors that contribute to obesity". Co-authors Dr Tanisha Spratt, lecturer in sociology in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Greenwich, London, and Luna Dolezal, associate professor in philosophy and medical humanities at the University of Exeter, said they were using the Tackling Obesity campaign "as an illustration" to explore "the dynamics between fat shaming, neoliberalism, ideological constructions of health and the 'obesity epidemic' within the UK". They said that fat shaming was a practice that "encourages open disdain for those living with excess weight [and] operates as a moralising tool to regulate and manage those who are viewed as 'bad' citizens". They regarded this as an example of "how the ideological underpinnings of 'health' have been transformed under neoliberalism". Fat shaming discourses that are often used as tools to promote 'healthy' lifestyle choices are "problematic", they said. Prof Dolezal, a principal investigator on the Wellcome-funded Shame and Medicine project, also co-authored a paper published earlier this month saying that the health and care system "should be more sensitive to people's 'shame'". Read full story Source: Medscape, 13 October 2022
  5. Content Article
    Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity and its associated diseases. This pathway written by East Kent Hospitals University Foundation NHS Trust (EKHUFT) provides guidance for multidisciplinary teams to allow them to provide appropriate care for each bariatric patient according to their unique shape, size and body dynamics.
  6. News Article
    Doctors and nurses often “weight-shame” people who are overweight or obese, leaving them feeling anxious, depressed and wrongly blaming themselves for their condition, research has found. Such behaviour, although usually the result of “unconscious weight bias”, leads to people not attending medical appointments, feeling humiliated and being more likely to put on weight. Dr Anastasia Kalea and colleagues at University College London analysed 25 previous studies about “weight stigma”, undertaken in different countries, involving 3,554 health professionals. They found “extensive evidence [of] strong weight bias” among a wide range of health staff, including doctors, nurses, dieticians, psychologists and even obesity specialists. Their analysis found that a number of health professionals “believe their patients are lazy, lack self-control, overindulge, are hostile, dishonest, have poor hygiene and do not follow guidance”, said Kalea, an associate professor in UCL’s division of medicine. She added: “Sadly, healthcare, including general practice, is one of the most common settings for weight stigmatisation and we know this acts as a barrier to the services and treatments that can help people manage weight. “An example is a GP that will unconsciously show that they do not believe that the patient complies with their eat less/exercise more regime they were asked to follow as they are not losing weight." “The result is that patients are not coming back or they delay their follow-up appointments, they avoid healthcare prevention services or cancel appointments due to concerns of being stigmatised due to their weight.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 10 August 2022
  7. News Article
    The number of knee replacement operations carried out has dropped in regions of England with restrictions on surgery for overweight patients, with people in more deprived areas worst affected, researchers have found. Patients needing surgery but unable to lose weight are being denied surgery that could ease pain and increase mobility, the team from the University of Bristol said. Health campaigners expressed alarm, claiming the policy was a “blunt tool” being used to replace conversations between doctors and patients and risked exacerbating health inequalities. Over the past decade, rules have been brought in by some clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across England to restrict access to hip and knee replacement surgery for patients who are overweight or obese. The study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, suggests that regions that introduced policy changes for access to knee replacement surgery based on a patient’s weight or BMI have seen a decline in surgery. The lead author, Joanna McLaughlin, of the Bristol Medical School, said: “Our study raises the concern that these policies are linked with worsening health inequalities with fewer NHS operations for the least affluent groups. “We could see the rates of surgery dropped for those worst off but increased for those who are best off, which correlates with more private surgery going on in those areas.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 29 June 2022
  8. News Article
    The number of children being treated at paediatric diabetes units (PDUs) in England and Wales has increased by more than 50% amid a “perfect storm” of rising obesity levels and the cost of living crisis, health leaders have said. Diabetes UK said alarming obesity levels among children had led to a “concerning climb” in the number diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and predicted that the cost of living crisis could lead to further problems in the years to come. Data from NHS Digital shows that almost one in seven children start primary school obese – a rise of almost 50% in just a year. More than a quarter are obese by the time they finish primary school. The high levels of obesity combined with the squeeze on personal finances are creating a “perfect storm which risks irreversible harm to the health of young people”, Diabetes UK said. It accused the government of “letting our children down” as it called for concerted action to tackle obesity. Chris Askew, the chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: “We are very concerned that this spike in childhood obesity will translate into an even greater increase in children with type 2 diabetes in the coming years, a crisis fuelled by longstanding health inequalities and made worse still by impacts of the cost of living crisis." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 15 June 2022
  9. News Article
    Obese adults in Britain are on course to outnumber those who are a healthy weight within five years, a stark report has revealed. Experts have warned there will be a “tipping point” in 2027 when one third of adults will be obese if current trends continue. By 2040, they predict there will 21 million people classed as obese in the UK, and 19 million deemed to be overweight. The analysis by Cancer Research UK shows seven in 10 (71%) people will be overweight or obese by 2040. Of this, almost four in 10 (36%) adults will be obese. At present, 64% of adults are overweight or obese, with figures rising every year. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of at least 13 different types of cancer and also causes other conditions such as high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. The new data comes after former Conservative leader William Hague attacked the government for postponing a ban on “buy one get one free” deals for foods high in fat, salt and sugar for a year because of the cost-of-living crisis. Read full story Source: The Independent, 19 May 2022
  10. Content Article
    The results of an analysis published by Cancer Research UK estimate that more than 21 million UK adults will be obese by 2040, which equates to almost 4 in 10 of the UK adult population (36%). The analysis also suggests that if current overweight and obesity trends continue, the number of UK adults who are overweight or obese may exceed this, reaching around 7 in 10 people, or 42 million people, by 2040, 71% of the population. Worryingly, the report also indicates that the number of people who are obese could overtake the number who are a healthy weight in the UK by 2040. This ‘tipping point’ could happen as early as the late 2020s for the UK as a whole and England, with Northern Ireland following suit in the late 2030s. For Scotland and Wales, the crossover is not expected to happen before 2040. The report also suggests those experiencing higher levels of deprivation could suffer the most. In England in 2019, 35% of people living in the most deprived areas were obese, and this is estimated to increase to almost half (46%) by 2040. In comparison, 22% of people living in the least deprived areas were obese in 2019 and this is estimated to increase to 25%. These projections predict an increase in the relative deprivation gap for obesity prevalence between the least and most deprived quintiles by 13%, from 45% in 2019, to 58% by 2040 in England. Obesity increases the risk of at least 13 different types of cancer. Every year around 22,800 cases of cancer in the UK are due to being overweight or obese. More research is needed to understand the link between obesity and cancer.
  11. News Article
    Obesity has reached “epidemic proportions” in Europe, the World Health Organization says, as a major report shows the disease is causing 200,000 cancer cases and 1.2 million deaths a year. In the first such study for 15 years, the WHO said overweight and obesity rates had hit deadly levels and were “still escalating”. No country in the region was on track to meet the WHO global noncommunicable disease (NCD) target of halting the rise of obesity by 2025, it said. Across Europe, 59% of adults are overweight or obese as well as 8% of children under five and one in three children of school age. Obesity prevalence in Europe is higher than in any other part of the world except the Americas, according to the report presented at the European Congress on Obesity. Obesity is linked to a string of other diseases, including musculoskeletal complications, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and at least 13 types of cancer. The report said excess body fat led to premature death and was a leading risk factor for disability. “Across the WHO European region, obesity is likely to be directly responsible for at least 200,000 new cancer cases annually, with this figure projected to rise in the coming decades,” the report said. “For some countries within the region, it is predicted that obesity will overtake smoking as the main risk factor for preventable cancer.” Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, said reversing the obesity epidemic in Europe was still possible. “By creating environments that are more enabling, promoting investment and innovation in health, and developing strong and resilient health systems, we can change the trajectory of obesity in the region.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 3 May 2022
  12. Content Article
    In this blog for Refinery29, Sadhbh O'Sullivan looks at the issues faced during antenatal care by pregnant women who are overweight. She recounts the perspectives of several pregnant women who felt dehumanised and blamed for their weight during pregnancy. She also highlights issues with the way in which risks are communicated to pregnant women, with overcommunication and overestimation of risk causing anxiety and sometimes making women reluctant to engage with maternity services. She also discusses failures of informed consent, the role of comorbidities and the impact of wider health inequalities.
  13. News Article
    A mum-of-four said she felt "fat-shamed" at a pregnancy scan and during follow-up appointments. Alexandra Dodds said her weight was raised at every appointment, and circled with a pen so vigorously in her notes that she wanted to lose them. "It was just kind of jokes, like 'hope you've stopped the Christmas snacks', or 'make sure you've thrown the box of chocolates away'," said Ms Dodds. "I didn't feel like it was said in a spiteful way to try to upset me, it was like banter, but I don't feel like you can banter about that," she added. Baby Brianna was born healthy at home before a midwife could arrive in July, last year. Alexandra said she only felt able to speak out about what she wanted during her pregnancy and labour because of three previous pregnancies. "If I feel any level of shame, that's just a clear indication that I have to talk about it, because it means I'm not the only person and other people will understand," she added. Joint research by Cardiff University and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) found women with higher BMIs felt stigmatised by risk messaging in maternity care. The Wrisk Project, which surveyed more than 7,000 women, looked at how risk is communicated in pregnancy following concerns it didn't always "reflect the evidence base". Clare Murphy, director of BPAS, said the work showed they hadn't got it right. "Pregnant women are often infantilized, and it feels like sometimes decisions are made about them, for them," she said. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said care should be based on respect and understanding of women's needs. Read full story Source: BBC News, 3 January 2021 Related resources My ob-gyn kept shaming me for my weight gain during pregnancy - patient video
  14. News Article
    Patients in the US are able to order “don’t weigh me” cards to take to the doctors in a move aimed at reducing anxiety and stress on a visit. The US group behind the initiative said being weighed and talking about weight “causes feelings of stress and shame for many people”. The cards say: “Please don’t weigh me unless it is (really) medically necessary.” It adds: “If you really need my weight, please tell me why so that I can give you my informed consent”. On the other side, it explains why the patient may not want to be weighed, including “when you focus on my weight I get stressed” and “weighing me every time I come in for an appointment and talking about my weight like it’s a problem perpetuates weight stigma”. It also says most health conditions can be addressed without knowing the patient’s weight. Public Health England guidance to health and care professionals says they are in a “unique position to talk to patients about weight management to prevent ill-health” and recommends brief interventions. It says the first step in a brief intervention over a patient’s weight is to weigh and measure them. “You should view this as a normal part of a routine consultation,” it says. Read full story Source: The Independent, 23 December 2021
  15. Content Article
    The National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA) has produced lay summaries covering three of its sprint audits into: perinatal mental health services maternity care for women with a body mass index of 30kg/m2 or above ethnic and socio-economic inequalities in NHS maternity care. The NMPA is a large-scale project established to provide data and information to those working in and using maternity services. The purpose of NMPA is to evaluate and improve NHS maternity services, as well as to support women, birthing people and their families to use the data in their decision-making.
  16. News Article
    NHS England is set to launch 15 new specialist clinics for children living with severe obesity after the Covid pandemic shone a ‘harsh light’ on the crisis among vulnerable young people. Obesity currently affects one in five children in the UK. Each year, around one thousand children between the age of two to 18-years-old, and their family members, will benefit from the pilot scheme. The scheme will also offer access to dietitians, psychologists, specialist nurses, social workers, youth workers and a children’s doctor. Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS in England, described the coronavirus pandemic said: “The pandemic has shone a harsh light on obesity - with many vulnerable young people struggling with weight gain during the pandemic. “Left unchecked, obesity can have other very serious consequences, ranging from diabetes to cancer. “This early intervention scheme aims to prevent children and young people enduring a lifetime of ill-health. “The NHS Long Term Plan committed to take more action to help children and young people with their physical and mental health and these new services are a landmark moment in efforts to help them lead longer, healthier and happier lives.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 15 November 2021
  17. Content Article
    In this blog, Dr Meghan Leaver, cofounder of PEP Health discusses factors that may prevent people living with obesity and overweight disease conditions from accessing high quality care. She argues that the current NHS focus on healthcare equality should extend to improving access and satisfaction amongst patients living with obesity. The author makes the case that the NHS is not weight inclusive, referring to a recent study in The Lancet that showed that people who identified as being overweight had significantly lower perceptions of the quality of care they were receiving compared with those who didn’t. She highlights that the issue disproportionately affects people from lower socio-economic backgrounds and calls for policy that empowers people to live healthier lifestyles.
  18. Content Article
    This study published in The Lancet analysed patient comments gathered from freely available websites using the Patient Experience Platform. It examined comments to identify disparity in care experiences of people who identified as overweight or living with obesity across all NHS Acute and Specialist Trusts and all general practitioners (GPs) in England from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020.  The study found that: across all regions, perceptions of the quality of care in the categories ‘Effective Treatment’ and ‘Emotional Support’ were significantly lower for people who identified as living with obesity compared to people who did not. people who identified as living with obesity in the negative behavioural cluster have a lower overall perceived quality of care score. barriers to quality care experienced by people who identified as living with obesity include speed of access, effective treatment, emotional support and stigmatising healthcare experiences.
  19. Event
    Poor lifestyle choices are leading to a rapid growth in non-communicable diseases, resulting in increased healthcare expenditure, preventable morbidity, and premature deaths. The increasingly sedentary nature of our lifestyles, which can lead to obesity or being overweight, has contributed to growth in the numbers suffering from type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Prevention and effective management of long-term conditions is likely to be more cost effective than treating the illnesses as they occur. This webinar will highlight how behaviour change can reduce the likelihood of becoming obese, becoming type 2 diabetic, or suffering from heart disease. The session will look at recommendations around four key health and wellness pillars; activity, sleep, stress and nutrition and how achieving balance across them can help prevent some non-communicable diseases. It will explore ‘social prescriptions’ and the role they can play to help those at risk of, or suffering from these diseases to actively participate in their own health and care. Additionally, it will consider how remote patient monitoring can help proactively manage these patient populations outside of primary and secondary care environments, reducing the burden on NHS resources. Register
  20. News Article
    It has been recommended by UK researchers that patients, regardless of their metabolic rate, should be given weight management advice as people with obesity were still at risk of diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. A recent study found that regardless of your metabolic rate, it did not necessarily mean that the patient with obesity were healthy and that doctors should avoid using the term “metabolically healthy obesity” as it could be misleading. Read full story. Source: Nursing Times, 11 June 2021
  21. Content Article
    Black, Latinx, and Native Americans are experiencing disproportionate burdens of infections, hospitalisations, and deaths from COVID-19. Similar disparities are observed in other countries where minority groups face hurdles in accessing health, education, and social services as well as affordable, healthy food. These stark manifestations of health inequities have emerged in the wake of a body of evidence linking obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease — conditions that disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations — with severe outcomes from COVID-19. Though the factors underlying racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 in the United States are multifaceted and complex, long-standing disparities in nutrition and obesity play a crucial role in the health inequities unfolding during the pandemic.
  22. News Article
    Obesity may double the risk of falling seriously ill with Covid-19 and increase the chances of dying by almost 50 per cent, according to researchers, who also warned any future vaccine may be less effective for the clinically overweight. Health issues caused by obesity include a number of pre-existing conditions known to exacerbate a Covid-19 infection – including heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Now a global assessment of health data gathered since the start of the the pandemic by researchers at the University of North Carolina has found people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 30 were 113 per cent more likely to be hospitalised. Those admitted to hospital were found to be 74% more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit, while the risk of death among obese patients increased by 48%. Read full story Source: The Independent, 26 August 2020
  23. Content Article
    In this TEN podcast, Dr Aseem Malhotra talks about the UK obesity crisis, the definitions of metabolic syndrome and why, in a very clear way, it’s not too late for us all. He is now advising the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, about the links between obesity and metabolic syndrome and COVID-19 deaths. Dr Malhotra is an NHS Consultant Cardiologist, and world renowned expert in the prevention, diagnosis and management of heart disease. He is a founding member of Action on Sugar and was the lead campaigner highlighting the harm caused by excess sugar consumption in the United Kingdom, particularly its role in type 2 diabetes and obesity.
  24. Content Article
    How can you discuss obesity with your patients in a respectful manner? Many doctors feel uncomfortable bringing up the topic of weight since they are afraid of being rude. So how should you do it? In the fifth part of the low carb for doctors series, Dr Unwin discusses how doctors can talk about obesity to their patients in a respectful way.
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