Patients should 'routinely weigh themselves at GP' to tackle obesity, region's health bosses say

Patients should routinely weigh themselves when visiting their GP in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, health bosses say, as they renew their focus on tackling obesity.

Val Thomas, a member of the region’s health and wellbeing board, said that doctors play a “really important” part in monitoring obesity levels in both children and adults and introducing interventions at a meeting this week.

She and the rest of the board have agreed four priorities for health in the region, which include promoting healthier lifestyles, reducing poverty and improving mental health.

It is in fact “the most important challenge we face as a health and wellbeing board,” another member, GP Dr James Morrow, said.

The board has also agreed specific targets, such as reducing the number of children who are overweight or obese by five per cent by 2030 and reducing the number of adults who are overweight or obese to pre-Covid levels by 2030.

But even these are “very ambitious”, health consultant Val Thomas said, in the context of rising levels of obesity.

The board discussed extra ways in which they could help to achieve their targets at the meeting.

“More people go to the supermarket each week than the GP each week, so maybe we should be thinking much more broadly about corporate social responsibility,” Dr Morrow said, “and placing self-weighing stations in supermarkets and other places that people attend.”

But others on the board said that this could be problematic as there wouldn’t be people on hand to encourage weighing and the results would not then be sent on to health care professionals.

Dr Morrow also suggested that members of the board, which includes GPs and health consultants as well as NHS staff and councillors, should pledge to weigh everyone in their own organisations as well as encourage healthier eating and exercise.

Members agreed that they should make a wider pledge to tackle obesity as well, which will be drafted in future.

Also already in the works is carrying out food surveys in schools, fast food free zones in schools and reducing local advertising for unhealthy food.

Schools will also be able to bid for new funding towards physical education from September.

The board also wants to ensure tackling obesity is embedded in planning policy such as council’s Local Plans (LPs), they say, as walking and cycling infrastructure can help promote healthy lifestyles, as can policies around the kinds of food shops in particular areas.

It will discuss each of its priorities in turn, starting with obesity.

Future discussions will be held about mental health, reducing poverty and child welfare.