According to the latest stats gathered by The Better Life Index, which compared 34 countries on a range of topics such as income, health, housing standards, education and crime, British people are fatter than other countries with similar economies. The 34 countries observed belong to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the figures are quite revealing.
In terms of health, obesity rates in the UK were shown to be the highest in Europe with one in four people obese and the numbers set to increase over the next decade. The statistics also reveal that obesity levels among certain groups within the population are levelling off; for example, the better off and the more educated. Those who are less fortunate will experience ever increasing obesity rates unless something changes.
Next year GPs shall be paid for advising obese patients to lose weight. This follows a recent study that was presented at a European conference on obesity last week where it was established that those who were obese or overweight were far more likely to lose weight if advised by their doctors and referred to diet clubs by their doctors than if they were trying to diet alone.
The diet clubs were paid for using taxpayer’s money for the duration of the study which at the time caused controversy however, considering that obesity is costing the NHS £6 billion every year, pumping money into such an outlet can only serve to lighten the load of this financial burden in the long run.