A test scheme has shown that dieters who are paid to lose weight are far more likely to succeed than those who are not.
The scheme is called Weight Wins and so far has paid dieters tens of thousands of pounds in a bid to tackle obesity. Dieters sign up for a pound-for-pound scheme, where they get paid for every pound they lose and then are given a cash bonus after a certain number of months if they manage to keep the weight off.
The scheme is supported by the NHS, which means that dieters have access to NHS dieticians and are given help choosing how they want to lose weight.
Those taking part see their rewards vary depending on how long their weight-loss plan is. Monies received ranged from £80 to £3,000. When the program was audited by the independent University of Hertfordshire, it was discovered that the 745 people taking part in the scheme lost 1 stone on average, compared with the 5lb 4 oz lost by those following traditional diet methods without monetary compensation.
45% of patients lost 5% or more of their body weight – the benchmark regulators use to judge whether a scheme or medication is effective – and 1 participant lost 8 stone.
However, a spokesperson for the NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent said that ¾ of participants dropped out of the scheme before it was completed.
The scheme may seem fairly repellent, but it is likely that if participants do keep the weight off, the taxpayer would actually be better off. The cost of treating obesity-related illnesses is huge and it has been suggested that within 20 years obesity could cripple the NHS.
The Department of Health strategy for tackling obesity has already suggested that financial incentives to lose weight could be introduced. America has already brought in similar schemes and many U.S businesses are giving staff bonuses if they manage to lose weight.
In a statement, a DoH spokesperson said that any nationwide scheme to pay people to lose weight would only be introduced with ‘sound evidence’ to back it up.