RSS Feed MenuThe British government has just announced a new initiative to reduce obesity, with the goal of being the first western country to stem the tide of this epidemic. The core idea? Sending people to their physician for an obesity check (including a calculation of their Body Mass Index, a measure of obesity).
Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo notes: “More than 60 per cent of adults in England are overweight or obese, leaving them at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart and liver disease. BMI checks will make sure people know they are overweight and will help to turn their health around.” More details can be found here.
It’s difficult not to like the purpose of this initiative, but is it substantive?
Even assuming that people actually go to their GPs for the BMI checks, one has to wonder about the overall effectiveness. Do the obese not realize that they are obese? Will a 350-pound man who is unable to tie his own shoelaces and suffers from diabetes suddenly realize he’s heavy after hearing this from his doc?
Governments across the western world are working feverishly to combat rising obesity. Unfortunately, the obesity check doesn’t seem to pass the reality check.
liv&win // Apr 20, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Depending on how you see this issue, it is either the first step in totalitarianism or a responsible approach to major cost overruns in public health systems. 20% of the people are responsible for 80% of the health care spending. Of the 20%, 80% can make reasonable lifestyle changes and reduce health care spending on them by 80%. If you can affect lifestyle change in 16 out of 100 people, you can save 36% in health care spending. Sounds pretty substantial to me.
sinz54 // Apr 20, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Requiring you to get an obesity check (or better still, a complete physical examination) from your doctor, is exactly analogous to getting a state inspection sticker for your car every year. By state law, you are mandated to have your car inspected at your expense. If there are any problems with the car that are preventing it from passing inspection, you must get them repaired at your expense too. If it does not pass inspection and does not receive this year’s sticker, you run the risk of being pulled over by a cop, if you continue to drive the car without the sticker.Except for the most extreme anarchist-libertarians, nobody considers the state inspection sticker for autos as “a step toward totalitarianism.” Because it’s recognized that both the state and the insurers have a vested interest in public safety.The same thing is true with public health. I believe that, just as with cars, a health insurer (public or private) should require you to get a complete physical from your primary care physician before giving you health care coverage (unless the physician certifies that you’re already under his care for a pre-existing condition). As an incentive to do this, the insurer should rebate you the cost of the physical (even though technically you weren’t insured by him yet).
krove // Apr 20, 2009 at 6:41 pm
You do realise that Dawn Primorolo is known in the UK as RED Dawn, she is a Socialist with a capital S.In fact a Communist. Good to see that you are supporting Socialists here now.
sinz54 // Apr 21, 2009 at 8:05 am
krove: In recent years, Dawn Primarolo moved to the center. She supports Britain’s nuclear deterrent, supported the Iraq War, and has supported some centrist economic initiatives as well. She’s no longer considered “Red Dawn” anymore.People change, you know. David Horowitz, now a staunch right-winger, used to be a member of the radical New Left. He was the editor of “Ramparts,” for Pete’s sake. But he changed.The day will come when you too realize how wrong your lefty ideas are. Anyway, notice I specifically said that I would like even PRIVATE insurers to require their policyholders to get full physical examinations. It can save a lot of lives and misery that way.