How the UK will track obese children using 'spy scales'

The United Kingdom (UK) has an obesity crisis, with one in seven children between the ages of two and 15 suffering from the condition. As the country tries to reduce the obesity rate, the state-run National Health Service (NHS) is introducing “spy scales” to monitor the weight loss in children remotely.

The plan is to roll out these scales at specialist weight management clinics across England. While some have appreciated the initiative, others have criticised it, likening it to the “nanny state” intruding into people’s lives.

What are these “spy scales”, and how will they work? We will explain.

UK rolls out ‘spy scales’

The NHS is launching “spy scales” or “smart scales” that will monitor children at home, keep a track of their weight and get medics in touch if necessary.

The digital scales are given to parents of severely obese children aged three to 18. They have “hidden digits”, which do not show the child’s weight, as per an Independent report.

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Instead, these scales transmit weight data to a mobile app, used by clinicians and families. Parents receive graphs showing weight trends and their child’s progress. They also get personalised feedback from medics, including messages of encouragement, reported Daily Express.

For example, the texts can be a praise for “continuing to make great progress” or advice for children who are struggling to lose weight.

Parents and children can contact the doctors through the app, saving them a visit to the clinic. Children under 13 are suggested to get the app on their parents’ mobile phones.

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As per Independent, an estimated 350 patients are using these spy scales. NHS England is now rolling out this technology to thousands more via 19 specialist clinics.

A game-changer?

The UK is facing a spike in childhood obesity. As per the latest NHS data, one in seven children aged between two and 15 is living with obesity.

As many as 4,784 children aged 2-18 have received care at 32 specialist NHS clinics for child obesity since 2021, according to The Times newspaper. Another 150 children will use the smart scales tool and app when it is launched for four more clinics this summer, as per NHS England.

In the UK, a child or young person who has a body mass index (BMI) above the 99.6 percentile, which is classified as severe obesity, and complications because of their excess weight is referred to Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) clinics.

Simon Kenny, NHS England’s national clinical director for children and young people, said the “cutting-edge technology” would help in behavioural changes in thousands of youths.

“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 was quoted as saying by Independent.

“Living with excess weight can cause problems affecting every organ system and long-term complications such as 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.”

Professor Kenny said that early intervention can help in preventing excess weight gain and the long-term obesity-related health complications.

As per The Times, Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said that keeping children under “close surveillance” might be an effective step to tackle obesity.

He 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.”

Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said, according to Daily Express, that children living with obesity needed compassionate support.

“Nudging families towards healthier lifestyle changes is important, but the most powerful levers lie beyond the home; in government departments with the tools to put children’s health above corporate profits,” she added.

Or a nanny state?

Critics have said it is “insane” to track children remotely and not let them be aware of their true weight.

Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at 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.”

The UK’s step comes as a new analysis, recently presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain, showed that young children affected by obesity were also suffering from related complications – 30 per cent had liver disease and 21 per cent had high blood pressure.

A separate study presented at the conference showed that the rates of overweight or obesity in teenagers have seen an uptick from 22 per cent to 33 per cent over 15 years, with ultra-processed foods and sedentary lifestyles to blame.

With inputs from agencies