Overweight people will receive supermarket discounts, shopping vouchers and Fitbits in £6m NHS plan to encourage dieters to shed pounds
Overweight people will receive supermarket discounts, shopping vouchers and Fitbits in an NHS plan worth £6million which is aimed at encouraging dieters to shed the pounds.
Supermarkets and fitness companies are being invited to run the 'Health Incentives' scheme, which could be rolled out across England if proven successful.
The six-month trial will begin in January 2022 and could see Fitbits prescribed to participants, echoing Singapore's 'national step challenge' in which people compete against each other using wearable fitness devices.
Two in three Britons are overweight and one in four are obese, according to research from the World Health Organisation .
The UK is also the most obese country in western Europe, with rates rising faster than in the United States.
Supermarkets and fitness companies are being invited to run the 'Health Incentives' scheme, which could be rolled out across England if proven successful (file photo)
Figures released by NHS Digital in May showed admissions for conditions caused by obesity or where obesity affected people's treatment rose by 17 per cent in the year 2019 to 2020
Sir Keith Mills, who founded Air Miles and Nectar customer loyalty programmes, is an adviser on the scheme.
He told the Daily Telegraph: 'The Health Incentives scheme could be a vital tool in the Government's plans to tackle health inequalities and encourage healthier behaviours.
'This is a fantastic opportunity for businesses, the public and third sectors to come together and deliver a new and exciting way of supporting people to healthier habits.
'This is why we are calling for interested partners to come forward with their innovative ideas and help play a pivotal part in the Government's plans to improve public health.'
It follows the Department of Health and Social Care announcing last month that junk food giants will be banned from advertising online and before 9pm on TV by 2023.
Health bosses claimed the controversial move, described as 'nannying' by some Tory MPs and industry bosses, could shave 7billion calories from children's diets each year.
Biscuits, cakes, chocolate bars, ready meals and other products high in sugar, salt or fat will be hit by the policy - a key part of Boris Johnson's war on childhood obesity.
But other high calorie non-junk foods — such as avocado, honey, olive oil and Marmite — will be exempt from the ban that comes into force in 2023, it is understood, despite fears they could be included due to high fat and sugar content.
The DOH said small businesses will be exempt because 'the Government recognises these may be some of the hardest hit by the pandemic'.
A record one million people were admitted to hospital because of obesity in England last year, official data has shown.
A record one million people were admitted to hospital because of obesity in England last year, official data has shown. Obesity admissions were twice as likely in the most deprived areas of the country compared to the least deprived, the map shows
Admissions directly caused by obesity were highest in people aged 45 to 54 and lowest in people aged under 16 or over 75
Of the admissions where obesity was a factor but not the main reason for admission, the most common diagnoses related to maternity problems (35,056) and knee joint issues (31,197)
Figures released by NHS Digital in May showed admissions for conditions caused by obesity or where obesity affected people's treatment rose by 17 per cent in the year 2019 to 2020.
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Women made up almost two thirds (64 per cent) of the hospital cases and admissions were more common in poorer areas than wealthy places.
Obesity is known to raise the risk of Type 2 ‘lifestyle’ diabetes, heart disease, stroke, dementia, joint and back problems and cancer.
The medical director of NHS England, Professor Stephen Powis, called the figures 'shocking' and said they were 'a growing sign of the nation's obesity crisis'.
People were most often admitted to hospital for arthritis in their hips and knees and for heart disease, while others needed treatment directly for their weight.
The NHS figures show that around 10,780 admissions were caused directly by obesity — for weight loss or gastric surgery — while the rest were for problems related to obesity.
But in total there were 1.02million hospital admissions where someone's obesity was listed as the main or secondary cause for their visit, up from 876,000 the year before.
The most common of these were for appointments during pregnancy, knee and hip arthritis and heart disease.
Professor Powis said at the time: 'Carrying extra pounds not only puts a strain on your physical health, but also on the health service so as lockdown restrictions start to ease, there has never been a better time to take steps to live a healthier lifestyle.
'If you think you are at risk of developing diabetes, you can check your risk online and sign up to support from the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.'
Obesity is one of the biggest risk factors for severe Covid, with proportionally more obese people being hospitalised with the disease than non-obese people.
World Obesity Federation research found Covid deaths have been 10 times higher in countries where at least half of adults are overweight.