Have Your Say
-
Latest Posts
-
Most Comments
-
Archive
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
-
Should you tell your patient if they are obese?
Telling overweight patients they are obese could be seen as “derogatory”, a health watchdog has warned.
A quarter of adults in Britain are now obese, a figure that is due to more than double by 2050. But public health workers have been told that patients may respond better if they are encouraged to achieve a “healthier weight” rather than being labelled obese, under draft guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
The advice is included in NICE’s paper entitled Obesity: Working with Local Communities and urges health professionals to use “appropriate language” to help obese patients.
Obesity is a medical term, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. BMI is calculated by dividing one's weight in kilograms by the square of one's height in metres.
But the guidance states that “the term ‘obesity’ may be unhelpful”, because “while some people may like to ‘hear it like it is’, others may consider it derogatory.”
The advice prompted opposition from some health campaigners.
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, told the Daily Telegraph: “This is extremely patronising. They should be talking to people in an adult fashion.
“There should be no problem with using the proper terminology. If you beat around the bush then you muddy the water.
“Obesity is a well defined, World Health Organisation standard that everybody can understand.”
Squeamishness over use of the word is not new. When the National Child Measurement Programme was launched in 2008, Department of Health officials decided against using the words “fat” or “obese” in letters to parents.
Such fears of upsetting people are not shared by Anne Milton, the Public Health Minister. Two years ago she said that people should be told they were “fat” rather than “obese” because she felt the word was more hard-hitting.
• If you were obese, would you want to be told?
• Do you think the new guidance is patronising?
