New 'spy scales' rolled out by NHS to remotely monitor weight of severely obese kids

The NHS is rolling out "spy scales" which remotely monitor children at home so medics can get in touch if they put on too much weight.

The scales are given to parents of severely obese children and have “hidden digits” so that they can not see the reading of how much they weigh. Instead families are sent graphs showing weight trends and text messages of encouragement. They have been trialled by 350 families and England is now rolling them out to thousands more.

Messages sent out by the specialist doctors and nurses include those saluting families for “continuing to make great progress” or advising children who are not losing weight to make changes to their eating habits. Health campaigners said some would see the measures as “ ” and “nanny state” but insist Britain’s obesity crisis is so bad that such actions were necessary.

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Professor Simon Kenny, NHS England’s Clinical Director for Children and Young People, said: “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.”

Children under 13 years of age are recommended to have the app on the parent’s mobile. If patients are older than 13 years a discussion can take place between patient, parents and clinicians. NHS England said it's an option for the young person but not required whereas parents should always have the app.

Christopher Snowden, from the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “Handing out spy scales without the numbers on them seems insane. The whole thing sounds like a patronising waste of money - sending people banal advice to eat less, as if they don’t know that already.”

Families enrolled in the programmes for children aged from 3 to 18 sign up to an app, which tracks weight patterns, and sends tailored messages of encouragement. For young children, the messages are aimed at parents. Parents are also sent graphs showing weight trends, which experts said are more useful, in guiding parents into what the right trends should be for growing children.

Prof Kenny said: “Living with excess weight can cause problems affecting every organ system and long-term complications such type 2 diabetes, stroke, early joint replacements and mental health difficulties. We also know that children living with health problems have poorer school attendance which can affect their future employment and life opportunities – and the NHS won’t just sit by and let children and young people become ill adults."

The programme is being rolled out to 19 specialist clinics, targeting thousands of children who are classed as “severely obese”. Having a body mass index (BMI) between 30 and 40 means someone is obese, whereas above 40 is classed as severely obese.

Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said: “I think there is a worry that some people will think this is nanny state or Big Brother but I think actually people are so confused about weight and BMI, especially when it comes to children, that I think this might be a better way to go. We have to find ways to help families to change their habits, and if it's about nudge and going a bit softly but keeping people under close surveillance that may be the way to do it.”

It comes as new analysis, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain, revealed that many children attending NHS specialist weight clinics are suffering from multiple problems.

Patients being treated at “Complications from Excess Weight” (CEW) clinics get access to specialist NHS doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and dietitians, who assess their complications, provide tailored help with diet and lifestyle changes, and deliver mental health support and coaching.

The analysis by Leeds Beckett University, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Leeds and University of Bristol included 4,784 children and young people, aged two to 18, being treated. It found widespread health complications being suffered by the patients with 30% suffering liver disease and 21% having high .

Prof Kenny said: “This important research on the life-changing impact that our NHS clinics are having highlights the complexities of the challenges facing so many young people and reaffirms our belief that early intervention can help limit excess weight gain and prevent the onset of associated long-term health complications.”

The criteria for a child or young person to be referred to a clinic is that they have a body mass index (BMI) above the 99.6 percentile and a complication of excess weight.