Diet coaches to be rolled out for fat kids as young as TWO

New NHS fat burning clinics will provide intensive weight loss support to thousands of children after obesity hospital admissions nearly tripled in a decade.

NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard will warn that the country’s obesity crisis is putting “real pressure” on the service when she unveils the plans today.

Addressing health leaders at the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester, she will speak of the ‘terrible human cost’ of being extremely overweight, adding: ‘Doing nothing now is not an option.’

It comes as figures show that 9,431 patients aged 17 and under were hospitalized with obesity in 2021/22, a 180 percent increase from 3,370 in 2011/12.

The number of children with severe obesity doubles from the beginning to the end of primary school – according to the latest data, one fifth of children aged 10 to 11 in England are obese.

Figures show that 9,431 patients aged 17 and under were hospitalized with obesity in 2021/22, an increase of 180 percent from 3,370 in 2011/12

Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, putting them at increased risk for heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and Covid.

The ten new ‘Overweight Complications’ NHS clinics will treat around 3,000 obese children aged between two and 18.

Each receives help to lose weight, treatment for complications and tailored care packages developed with their family, including diet plans, mental health care and coaching.

Obesity costs the NHS £6bn a year and is expected to rise to more than £9.7bn a year by 2050. Obese patients cost the service twice as much as healthy weight patients, research released last month found published.

The new services will start this year, bringing the total to 30 clinics that can provide expert help to children and their families who can prevent long-term conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?

Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS

• Eat at least 5 servings of different fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables count

• Basic meals based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, preferably whole grains

• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is equivalent to eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole-wheat muesli biscuits, 2 thick slices of whole-wheat bread, and a large baked potato with skin

• Provide dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks) and choose lower-fat, lower-sugar options

• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish per week, one of which is fatty)

• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume in small quantities

• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water per day

• Adults should have less than 6 g of salt and 20 g of saturated fat for women or 30 g for men per day

Source: NHS Eatwell Guide

Backed by £18 million over the next two years, the accelerated rollout doubles the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan to launch 15 new clinics in England.

Ms Pritchard will say: ‘Obesity can lead to a range of serious diseases such as cancer and diabetes – with appalling human costs and a real strain on the NHS too.

“Doing nothing now is not an option, which is why these new clinics will bring together a range of experts in one place to provide intensive – but sensitive – physical and mental support to thousands of young people and their families.”

Patients treated at the new clinics will have access to specialist NHS doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and dietitians, who will assess their complications, provide tailored help with dietary and lifestyle changes, and provide support and coaching for providing mental health.

In addition to providing treatment, the clinics will also work to identify the factors that drive obesity in children and young people by considering their mental well-being in addition to their physical health.

Professor Simon Kenny, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Children and Young People, said: ‘Living overweight can cause problems affecting every organ system, resulting in long-term complications such as early death, type 2 diabetes, stroke, early joint replacement and mental health problems. health issues.

‘These clinics’ holistic approach to treating obesity and its causes will help children and young people in a way that respects them; and works with the specific factors of their individual situation.

“We are committed to helping as many children and young people as possible with their physical and mental health and these additional clinics are an important step in helping vulnerable children and young people live healthier and happier lives.”

The criteria for a child or young person to be referred to a clinic is that they have a body mass index (BMI) above the 99.6 percentile and a complication of being overweight or BMI above the standard deviation standard of 3.33.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health organizations and is a co-organiser of the conference, said: ‘Obesity is outpacing smoking as the number one cause of death in England.

‘While NHS leaders are already seeing and treating as many patients as possible with obesity, including children and young people, much more needs to be done at a societal level to address the root causes of people being severely overweight.

The government now needs to move further and faster, including implementing key recommendations in its own national food strategy, published last year, to help improve the country’s diet and address the lasting and damaging effects of food poverty.

“We need new bold and courageous ideas in health promotion and the prevention of ill health, especially when it comes to improving the country’s diet. possible.’

Health Minister Neil O’Brien said: ‘We want to give children and young people the best start in life, and we know that obesity is linked to a range of health problems, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.

‘We are committed to halving childhood obesity by 2030, and these clinics are a major step forward in giving more young people the support they need to manage the complications associated with obesity and achieve a healthier weight.

“It builds on action to promote healthier lifestyles, including our £600m investment over the next two years to promote school sport, and the introduction of the sugar tax, calorie labeling and restrictions on where unhealthy food is sold in supermarkets is placed against the use of ‘pester power’ by shops.’