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A new scheme being launched with a pilot project in Essex will see dieters paid a pound for every pound they manage to lose in weight. Following the example of a similar, successful American scheme, health officials have decided to give those taking part in the scheme £1 shopping vouchers to encourage weight loss and sticking to an exercise program.

The pilot is set to begin in September and will involve 100 volunteers who have been invited to take part. NHS South West Essex will fund it and it will be run by Basildon Council, as part of an ongoing drive to reduce obesity in the area. A quarter of the area’s population is obese and they have been ranked as having markedly worse obesity levels compared with the national average.

Participants in the scheme will receive advice on how to live healthily and will be required to return every three months for a weigh-in.  It is hoped that the programme will be better value for money than current schemes, which has seen the primary health care trust pay for gym memberships that are rarely used.

The programme will culminate with a glamorous photo shoot, allowing the participants to appreciate the difference that their weight loss has made. 

It is hoped that if the Essex pilot is successful then other primary health care trusts will also adopt it.