How will they know who is obese?

[GinWithRosie]

Just that really! In the latest reports about new proposed 'rules' on shielding that 'may or may not' (who knows anymore!!) be introduced, it is saying that anyone over-50 and obese will be told to shield. But...how will 'they' know this information?

I guess I'd be in that category, at 56 and 14 stone, but nobody in authority knows my weight! I've never been weighed at a GP surgery or any other place where my weight has been recorded. I haven't even visited my new GP surgery...so they've not actually seen my body to have a clue what I might be in terms of BMI 🤷‍♀️

So...how will they know?

Guess I best loose weight. Actually we wfh so no big deal

*They could lose some weight?

Radical idea I know*

They aren't going to be from obese to normal weight by the end of the month.

It's going to be the new 'mask shaming'. People will be approaching others in the supermarket and saying 'you look like you are over 50 and you look obese, do you think you should be out the house?' :)

But, @99victoria:- mask refusers risk others’ health, the obese do not

When medical resources are limited like now, the obese do affect someone else's life chances

My understanding (from a study from the spring - so maybe outdated now) was that obesity was certainly a negative factor in terms of illness from Covid but being overweight was not. I think being underweight was a negative too (I can imagine breathing being an issue at either extreme)

Op you are being obtuse, you do your risk assessment, tell your manager what you score, no detail about how you got that score need be divulged

To be fair op. I do quite like being pithy, yes, but I did also read the thread. As to your question, I’m sorry but I would have thought the answer was obvious. They message everyone over fifty and say if you’re obese you should shield, and provide a link so people can map their bmi. . Any other solution would be unmanageable.

The issue I think fundamentally is a lot of peoooe don’t actually know they are obese, either they don’t weigh themselves or they do and do not accept or agree with the bmi parameters

There was a poster on here recently whose bmi was over thirty five, approaching forty, and who claimed the bmi parameters were wrong, she was just a bit over weight, she agreed, possibly obese, but fundamentally wouldn’t accept she was.

The question is not how will the doctors know. The question is how will individuals know and will they accept they are or argue they are not.

@BadDucks: "a general all round fabulous fucker" has made my day!
I'm going to work hard now to get into that select group.🤣🤣🤣

@toffeekiwi

*They could lose some weight?

Radical idea I know*

They aren't going to be from obese to normal weight by the end of the month.

That’s the spirit 🤪

@hamstersarse it's true though - I've dropped 12 BMI points and I'm now BMI 30-it's taken everyday of sticking to diet and exercise since mid March to lose just under 5 stone so far. I'm still obese (2 more lbs to go until 'overweight'). Clothes size has gone from a 22 to a 14/16 (16 is very baggy now). I feel so much slimmer but technically still in the obese range at 30.2BMI. Can't wait to hit BMI 29 but it's taken months to get here.

I will be mortified if I have to shield because of obesity. I think I'm around BMI 30. All the people I work with are slim and young. How embarrassing to have to shield because of your own greed. I hate myself for being this size. I try all the time, but food has become an emotional crutch, and it's not even about the food any more, it's like my 'medicine'. I know, I need to change, to sort it. I do for a while, lose a couple of stone, then put it back on again. I cant seem to break the cycle for good and get cured. Maybe we could set up a support thread.

Normally all over 50s are invited for health checks i believe

This is the first I've heard of this - I'm 59.

My GP doesn't send out invitations but there are posters all over the surgery and in most hospitals/walk-in centers I've been in.

they're hoping you'll take some responsibility yourself for working it out and protecting your health.

Exactly. Shouldn't we take responsibility for our actions?!

in the first metaanalysis of its kind, published on 26 August in Obesity Reviews, an international team of researchers pooled data from scores of peer-reviewed papers capturing 399,000 patients. They found that people with obesity who contracted SARS-CoV-2 were 113% more likely than people of healthy weight to land in the hospital, 74% more likely to be admitted to an ICU, and 48% more likely to die.

Obesity is a risk factor, irrespective of age, so I don't know why only over 50s are considered as high risk?

Coffeelover you have described yourself reason for being overweight that have nothing to do with "greed". I don't think that approach is going to help you.

I am obese and over 50 and under current risk assessments I am not considered high risk, my Covid age comes in around 57 and that is moderate risk only.

waist to height ratio has been demonstrated to be more reliable than BMI when assessing health risks, it is also simple to calculate, if you are listening government, bring that in and not BMI as your risk measure.

Obesity is a risk factor, irrespective of age, so I don't know why only over 50s are considered as high risk?

Isn't it obvious? If their age means that their baseline risk is very low, even if obesity increases the risk by 1.13 they still won't be at high risk.

@GinWithRosie
as already said, if you work for the NHS you have a score sheet, taking into account BMI/BAME, co-morbities, such as asthma, for example, you fill out the score and hand that over, and that is a Risk Assessment,
sad that as a supposed Deputy Head you are not more up to date

@JamminDoughnut. And as I have already said...that doesn’t happen elsewhere! No such risk assessment is in place that is sent to staff asking them to record anything that might indicate a weight/BMI issue This is not me being bad at my job (how fucking patronising) It just isn’t part of it! Or of anyone’s job in mine or very many places of work! Are you always so dismissive and rude?

the staff do their own score,
calm down op

Isn't it obvious? If their age means that their baseline risk is very low, even if obesity increases the risk by 1.13 they still won't be at high risk.

No, their risk more than doubles! It goes up by 113%. So obese people at any age are 'high risk'

So no, it's not obvious to me.

[quote Aridane]I’m not sure it is obvious who is obese. Overweight, yes, absolutely, but obese in a medical sense? That’s BMI over 40 I think

No, it’s over 30!!!

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/lifestyle/what-is-the-body-mass-index-bmi/[/quote]
Yes. I’m aware when obesity starts. My point was that significant extra risk for Covid doesn’t really start until much higher.