New digital ‘smart scales’ are to be piloted across 15 specialist clinics to support severely obese children to lose weight.
The smart scales have hidden digits and connect to a mobile app, which allows patients to see the direction of the weight management without displaying the specific numbers.
The data will automatically be transferred to the patient’s clinical team at the Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) clinics, who will be able to send regular feedback through the app.
Professor Simon Kenny, NHS England’s national clinical director for children and young people, said: ‘It is fantastic that through cutting-edge technology and a holistic and behaviour-change approach to obesity care, our specialist NHS clinics have already transformed the lives of thousands of children and young people – supporting them to lose weight, live heathier lives and improve their mental health.
‘This game-changing tool is helping our specialists support and keep track of children’s weight loss progress without them needing to leave home, while offering regular advice to them and their parents to help build healthy habits.’
He added that living with excess weight can cause long term complications such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, early joint replacements and mental health difficulties.
It comes as new analysis presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga found that over 40% of patients attending the 32 CEW clinics were from the most deprived neighbourhoods.
The research, from Leeds Beckett University, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Leeds and University of Bristol, also found that a high proportion of patients supported by the clinics have a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as autism (24%) or a learning disability (23%).
Significant proportions of children seen by the clinics also had major health complications, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (30%) and hypertension (21%).
Dr Catherine Homer, associate professor of obesity and public health at Sheffield Hallam University, said: ‘We know there is an urgent need to provide specialised person-centred support for the many children and young people currently living with severe and complex forms of obesity. Through our evaluation we are already seeing how crucial CEW clinics are to providing this support, and therefore it’s imperative that the clinics should be integral to the forthcoming 10 year plan.’
Separate research presented at the Congress from the New England Journal of Medicine looked at two of the weight loss drugs on the market and found that both tirzepatide and semaglutide led to substantial weight loss. However, that among those without diabetes, treatment with tirzepatide was ‘superior’, with respect to reduction in body weight and waist circumference.
In October 2024, the UK Government signed a collaboration agreement with Lilly, the pharmaceutical giant behind weight loss medication tirzepatide.
In January, it was found that child deaths have risen, with widening inequalities driving the rise.
