Like many GPs around the UK, Semiya Aziz has grown accustomed to seeing children as young as four or five who are obese. Knowing how best to address this delicate and complex issue with parents, given the time constraints of a 10-minute consultation, is a challenge for GPs, who are increasingly shouldering the burden of the UK’s burgeoning child obesity crisis.
“It’s very difficult to actually say, ‘Look, your child is overweight and needs to go on a programme,’” says Aziz, whose practice is in Palmers Green, north London. “There’s a big taboo with discussing it, as parents don’t want to upset their children. And GPs don’t have time in a short consultation to get those educational measures about healthy lifestyles across and delve into the child’s habits.”
