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28
Jun
‘We must shift the narrative around obesity’, says Birstwith charity director
A local charity director has called for a change in how obesity is portrayed.
Sarah Le Brocq, from Birstwith, is the founder of All About Obesity, a charity designed to provide trusted information about obesity.
It operates UK-wide and has been a big force in campaigning for better treatments for obese people.
Ms Le Brocq told the Stray Ferret that, contrary to popular belief, being obese is not a choice.
She said it’s important stereotypes are tackled:
We need to shift the narrative and make people realise that obesity is a chronic condition. We want to be a voice to help that.
It’s a problem in the district because there’s no access to weight management services. The hospital needs to look at how they can provide access to people who use these services.
The government have a part to play too. We’re looking at maybe getting local MP involvement.
The Stray Ferret reported this week that the weight-loss drug Mounjaro was being rolled out in its first phase across the UK.
However, North Yorkshire and the Humber currently does not qualify, and may not receive the medication until after Christmas.
Ms Le Brocq said the drugs need to made widely available. She said genetics and physiological biology play a big part in a person’s ability to lose and gain weight, and it's not simply a matter of willpower.
She added it’s hard for people with a high Body Mass Index (BMI) who are constantly on a diet to maintain weight loss due to "metabolic adaptation", which means the body wants to put weight back on.
Ms Le Brocq said she set up the charity because she has had first hand experience of weight gain:
I am somebody who lives with obesity. I worked in the pharmaceutical sector for 16 years, so I’m very in the know of medications.
I set up All About Obesity four years ago to help spread awareness. I aspire for it to be like Diabetes UK.
North Yorkshire doesn’t currently have a specialist weight-management service and there are plenty of people struggling because of that.
Ms Le Brocq emphasised the support that comes with weight-loss medication, called "wraparound" support, is just as important as the medication itself.
It supports patients get the right amount of exercise and eat the right way to keep their lifestyles healthy while they take the drugs.
She compared the issue of obesity with that of diabetes, suggesting that we imagine what it would be like if patients were denied access to insulin.
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