Metheringham woman who suffered eating disorder backs system shake-up
It's amid fears people are losing their lives because they're being denied help for eating disorders.
A woman from Metheringham, who was denied treatment for an eating disorder, is welcoming calls for a shake-up of the health system.
A report out today is criticising the way people are assessed using their Body, Mass, Index.
Ministers want it scrapped saying it leads to more people developing poor relationships with food and exercise.
Zoe Burnett said her whole life hung in the balance of an outdated system:
"When you starve yourself, your body starts to actually eat itself.
"It was attacking the muscles around my heart and I was at risk of having a heart attack.
"My heart would have given up long before my weight got into the underweight category to be deemed sick enough for help.
"I wouldn’t be here today"
"My whole life basically hung in the balance of whether I ticked a box on that BMI chart.
"It is soul destroying again to think that there are others out there in the situation that their lives hang in the balance of whether or not they tick a box on an outdated system."
A report published today is calling for Public Health England to stop using BMI as a measure of a persons health.
The Women and Equalities Committee warned the impact of the pandemic, both on eating disorder sufferers and those at a high risk of developing one, has been "devastating".
Their inquiry into body image also branded the Government's obesity strategy "dangerous'' for those with negative body image, potentially triggering eating disorders in the people it is designed to help.
The report warns that BMI, used as a health risk indicator in individual patients who are then put on weight loss or weight gain programmes prompted by their score, contributes to issues such as eating disorders and poor mental health.
"We have been hugely saddened to hear of the number of people who have faced appearance and weight-based discrimination when accessing NHS services,'' the report said.
"The use of BMI inspires weight stigma, contributes to eating disorders, and disrupts people's body image and mental health.''
It recommended that Public Health England stops using BMI as a measure of individual health and instead focuses on a "Health at Every Size" approach.
This honours differences in factors such as age, ethnicity and gender, and prioritises healthy lifestyle choices over correcting weight, according to the report.
On the obesity strategy, the committee said that it was "at best ineffective and at worst perpetuating unhealthy behaviours'' and called for the Government to commission an independent review into the evidence base for its policies.
It also urged the Government to immediately scrap plans for calorie labels on food in restaurants, cafes and takeaways, amid concerns it will contribute to growth in eating disorders.
MPs also called on the Government to bring forward legislation restricting or banning the use of altered images in adverts, over concerns this is contributing to poor body image.
Chair Caroline Nokes said we need to see urgent action:
"Over the past 10 years, there has been a wealth of research and recommendations on how to tackle negative body image but Government action in this area is limited.
"The pressure will intensify as gyms and beauty salons reopen on Monday
"This may be exciting for some but it will be difficult for people who experience body image anxieties.
"It's critical that Government action works towards improving body image.''