Medical training on obesity on the agenda for life insurers

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

A new report published this week has found conclusive evidence of public and medical prejudice towards the obese and at the same time has called for training to be introduced that would reduce the amount of prejudice that is being shown toward patients that are obese.

Obesity has become a huge problem in the UK and life insurance comparison site Quoteboffin has called for greater awareness stating that the condition is not always within the control of the individual as is sometimes thought.

There has been increased negative public attention and perception about obesity as of late, especially in terms of the cost to the NHS. The prejudice that can sometimes be found among medical professionals could be lessened if they were properly trained according to the report.

Recent research on the topic showed that such prejudice among the public has risen significantly over the last decade by 66%, this level of prejudice is often higher amongst professionals in the industry than it is in the general public.

A study by the obesity journal showed that students that had been properly trained on public health issues like exercise and diet exhibited much less prejudice toward the obese.

Quoteboffin is backing the Obesity Journal with calls for implementation of new training standards, this would go a long way to helping everybody receive medical care with both the compassion and attention they deserve, regardless of what physical condition that they are in.

Quoteboffin said that: "Obesity presents a significant health risk and many people may not realise it also has the effect of driving up the price of their life insurance policies."