By Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 deaths could have been avoided if obesity rates had not been so high, according to the World Obesity Federation.
It has been known for months that those who are obese are at higher risk from severe COVID-19 or death from the disease.
This includes the UK, which has the third-highest COVID death rate and the fourth-highest rate of obesity.
The report comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson enlisted one of Britain’s most successful businessmen to lead a pilot scheme that will reward people for cutting their calorie intake.
It is estimated that obesity-related illnesses cost the UK £6bn each year, with figures showing that nearly two-thirds of adults in England are either overweight or obese.
Boris Johnson is considering giving out shopping vouchers for losing weight as he accepts the link between obesity and Covid and will promise £100 million more for slimming schemes.
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The prime minister said ‘losing weight is hard, but making small changes can make a big difference.’
Over £70 million will be invested into weight management services, made available through the NHS and councils, enabling up to 700,000 adults to have access to support that can help them to lose weight, from access to digital apps, weight management groups or individual coaches, to specialist clinical support.
Evidence suggests weight management services can help people to adopt healthier behaviours, lose weight and improve their general wellbeing. This funding will support GPs and other health professionals to help make weight management an integral part of routine care.
It will encourage clinicians to have conversations about weight with their patients and enable them to refer patients to new services.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said ‘Helping people to achieve or maintain a healthier weight is complex and can be a very hard task. We want to make it easier for people to lose weight, which is why our funding set out today ensures those across all ages have the right level of support and tools they need to make healthier lifestyle choices’.
