NICE: 'Obese should be prescribed slimming clubs'

“GPs told to prescribe £100 slimming courses for millions of obese patients,” the Daily Mail reports. The news is based on new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) that aim to encourage sustainable weight loss in the obese; “lose a little, and keep it off”. The guidance is mainly aimed at commissioners (who plan and agree which services will be provided in the NHS and monitor them), health professionals and groups who provide lifestyle weight management programmes. The recommendations may also be of interest to members of the public, including people who are overweight or obese. The guidance has been issued because being overweight or obese is a common and important health problem in the UK. In 2012 about a quarter of men and women aged 16 and over in England had a body mass index (BMI) over 30, classified as obese. In addition, 42% of men and 32% of women were categorised as overweight (BMI of 25 to 30). Life expectancy is estimated to be reduced by an average of two to four years for people with a BMI of 30 to 35, and eight to 10 years for a BMI of 40 to 50. The cost of obesity to society was estimated to be almost £16 billion in 2007, which is predicted to rise to £50 billion by 2050 if obesity levels continue to rise. NICE has estimated that across the population, a 12-week weight management programme costing £100 or less for people who are overweight or obese would be cost-effective if they were to lose at least 1...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Food/diet Obesity QA articles Source Type: news