Almost half of GPs have seen children under seven years old who are obese, a survey of UK family doctors has revealed.
Four in five GPs surveyed by medical organisation MDDUS said they find it challenging to talk to children or their parents about obesity because conversations can make them feel ashamed, upset and angry.
For the survey, 540 family doctors were asked about their experience of managing obesity, weight loss drugs and the consequences of rising obesity rates on the NHS.
It revealed about a quarter of children they see aged four and under have obesity – including a handful that are under a year old.
“These findings are an alarming confirmation of the growing crisis of childhood obesity across the country and the very real difficulties this creates in everyday GP consultations,” Dr John Holden, the chief medical officer at MDDUS said.
He added: “Family doctors understand that childhood obesity is rarely about individual choices alone. It is often linked to poverty, food insecurity and limited opportunities for children to be active, and GPs approach these conversations with care and empathy for families under pressure.
“But raising concerns about a child who may be dangerously overweight can be one of the hardest discussions a GP has. When parents feel judged or blamed, conversations can quickly become emotionally charged and, as our members tell us, can lead to complaints from distressed or angry parents.
Not only are one in five children leaving primary school with obesity, it’s thought almost a third (28 per cent) of adults are obese in the UK and a rising number of people are turning to weight loss drugs to lose weight. Most of the 1.5 million people using GLP-1 drugs are accessing them privately because the NHS has strict eligibility rules.
However, GPs have said some of their adult patients who do not meet the criteria for weight loss medication are putting themselves at risk by obtaining them through private pharmacies without the right checks being done.
One doctor said: “Patients have also been known to lie about their conditions and meds, in order to get a GLP-1.”
Another said: “We have discussed one patient with a past history of anorexia nervosa inappropriately accessing GPL1 privately, and one patient with a BMI of 26 whom I think caused significant fatigue.”
A GP surveyed said GLP-1s are being “accessed privately pretty indiscriminately by many people whose BMI is not in the obese category.” They added that people see the medication as a “panacea” and that attempts to rectify the social and environmental causes of obesity are “being shelved in favour of a more sexy quick fix pill.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Every child deserves the best possible start in life, which is why this government is taking decisive action to tackle childhood obesity.
“We are restricting junk food advertising on television before 9pm and online – a move expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories per year from children’s diets – while giving local authorities new powers to stop fast food shops opening outside schools.
“Through our 10 Year Health Plan, we’re shifting the focus from sickness to prevention to create a healthier nation.”
