British obese people were offered to pay in exchange for losing weight. This is part of the initiative, which will be made by businessman Sir Keith Mills, writes The Mirror.
Mills is due to speak to the UK government to propose a new incentive and reward program to combat obesity, which could include exercise payments. Health officials will also have to find out what programs to combat obesity already exist in other countries. In particular, a step-by-step weight loss program in Singapore attracted the attention of the British: people with high physical activity are encouraged with payments.
Earlier, the British government announced that it would provide £ 100 million for the anti-obesity campaign. Of these, more than 70 million will be spent on the work of the country's National Health Service for weight control. An additional £ 30 million will go to fund initiatives aimed at maintaining a healthy weight. The government expects that this will help 700,000 British adults lose weight.
The Mirror recalls that obesity is one of the worst health crises facing the country. In Britain, nearly two-thirds of adults (63 percent) are overweight or even obese. Every third child by the end of primary school also faces similar problems.
The government already launched an obesity program in July 2020 to reduce the burden on the healthcare system. Then it was reported that the fight against diseases caused by obesity, cost the country 6 billion pounds each year. In addition, obesity increases the risk of severe COVID-19 pneumonia.