Fat of the Land?

Obesity is linked to increased risk of death when contracting a Covid19 infection; type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and some forms of cancer. Obesity is estimated to cost the UK's NHS circa £6bn per year. One in 5 children in the UK are classed as clinically obese. In England, 15 early intervention clinics are to be set up intending to treat 1000 young people (from 2 to 18 years of age) per year (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/nov/16/nhs-15-special-clinics-england-severely-obese-children). The 15 specialist clinics will offer diet plans, mental health treatment and coaching. This seems a good development but it raises some questions. Firstly, being clinically obese in the UK is often linked to relative poverty. Poverty routinely results in poor diet and reduced access to some places of exercise (such folk can't afford gym fees or club membership). It seems likely that some of the clinic's patients will be forced to revert to old habits, when they are no longer receiving NHS support. Secondly, the UK government appears to be currently dragging its heels in attempts to get major food companies to a) label their products in easily-interpretable ways and b) make their formulations more healthy (reducing fats, sugar and salt). This will make it difficult for people to maintain a healthy diet, after attending a clinic. Thirdly, mental health treatment is getting very hard (or even impossible) to access by many sectors of the UK's communities. A few weeks in a specialist clinic is very limited. Fourthly, the clinics will have to be very careful not to trigger a later pandemic of eating disorders in their 'patients'. The clinic's ability to 'follow up' seems very limited in this scheme. And, finally and obviously, the negative health outcomes of obesity do not finish when one hits 19 years of age. It's appreciated that the intention of the clinics is to make early (and hopefully, lasting) changes to behaviour. The NHS and government must not, however, abandon older folk to a poorer health 'fate'.