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Pounds for Pounds: Britain takes on obesity, by paying people to lose weight

Director for the Centre for Public Health in Britain, Mike Kelly estimates that obesity rates have doubled in Britain in the past decade. If better health can't entice people to lose weight, what about cash money? The National Health System is experimenting with paying people to lose weight with their Pounds for Pounds incentive program....
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The Current27:30Pounds for Pounds: Britain takes on obesity, by paying people to lose weight - Nov 7, 2014
Director for the Centre for Public Health in Britain, Mike Kelly estimates that obesity rates have doubled in Britain in the past decade. If better health can't entice people to lose weight, what about cash money? The National Health System is experimenting with paying people to lose weight with their Pounds for Pounds incentive program.


Like many countries, Britain faces an obesity epidemic, even as it faces a projected shortfall in health funding. And so, the National Health Service has announced it will offer cash incentives for people to lose weight. It is offering to help private companies reward employees who successfully drop extra pounds. The 'pounds for pounds" idea is controversial ... many wonder just how effective a weight loss incentive program can be.

Today we were joined by two guests with experience in these kind of programs:

  • Tim Carr's company in Brampton, Ontario ran a health challenge that he took part in, starting seven years ago.

  • Michael Rocha won his employer's Biggest Loser Challenge a couple of years ago.

Carrots and sticks do encourage people to change behaviour, but how effective are they in motivating people to shed weight?

Leslie John has tested a number of techniques. She is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School.

Though incentive-based weight loss programs may have some success, they do raise some concerns.

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff is a leading expert in overweight and obesity. He is the author of the bestseller "The Diet Fix: Why Diets Fail and How to Make Yours Work". He also has an award-winning blog called Weighty Matters.



The Current Archives: Dr. Yoni Freedhoff on why diets fail








Would an incentive help you lose weight? Or do you think it's a bad idea altogether? Let us know!

Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. Or e-mail us through our website. Find us on Facebook. Call us toll-free at 1 877 287 7366.

This segment was produced by The Current's Sarah Grant and Celia Grimbly.


There are good reasons why it's so hard to drop pounds. Eating is fun. Dieting is pain.

Few things celebrate pain more acutely than country music. Bobby Bare confronts profound loss in his "Diet Song."


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