A surprise amount of Brits say they would take anti-obesity drugs if they were given to them for free on the NHS.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist are a family of medications that help manage blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes, but have also been found to help obese people lose weight.
The drugs include Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, and semaglutide, which is sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus.
The survey of 1,078 adults, carried out by Ipsos, found 24% of people would use weight-loss jabs if they were provided for free by the health service.
When asked about their own body image, four in 10 told the survey they think they are overweight or obese.
I’m just speaking for myself here, so not saying this is true for everyone or even many people, but the cost of the gym isn’t the biggest barrier for me.
I like what you say about expanding availability - there isn’t a gym within (reasonable) walking distance of me. I think facilities being in communities makes a difference.
However, one of the biggest barriers to me is childcare. Somewhere where I could take them to do their own activities while I worked out would make it far more likely that I use it, and I suspect this is the case for others. My partner works long, unpredictable hours, so I can’t sign up for the weekly classes (that I did before having children) as I don’t know that he’ll be around to look after them.
I also have chronic health issues, which don’t prevent me exercising all the time, but there are days where I cannot leave my bed because of migraine, so again, committing to something regular is difficult. (Again, persoal to me, but I’m not alone in having a chronic condition.)
I tend to walk everywhere I can as accessing formal exercise has too many barriers for me, so I do have an acceptable level of fitness, but I miss doing classes as I found these really motivating.
Sorry for the long reply - I don’t disagree that price and access are issues, but there are more besides that I think need to be addressed. Stress and available time being factors in additional to the others I mentioned.
I also think there are issues with the weight loss drugs besides cost, one of those being the need to stay on them longterm. That’s not even getting into using weight as the sole metric of health.
As someone who has kids, the only time I can get my workout in is after they’re asleep (or before they wake up, but I’m NOT a morning person). I set up a gym in my garage because at that point, driving to a gym and back adds too much time so close to bedtime and also I’d feel weird about leaving my wife and kids alone at night.
After Covid, I got really out of shape, and one day, I just couldn’t take it anymore and took some steps to getting back into a routine. I have a bench press I got off nextdoor for cheap, adjustable dumbbells (not so cheap but also got off nextdoor practically new for much cheaper than retail) and a treadmill I got for free. I got some gym flooring mats from Ross for ~$60. All in all maybe a $500-$600 investment. It’s been well worth it though. I feel much better and for the first time in a long time, I can stand to look at myself in the mirror. Finding the time especially as a parent is never easy, but you’ve gotta find something that works for you. We need to move our bodies. We weren’t meant to sit around all day, and frankly, I don’t think injecting yourself with these drugs is the answer to weight gain.
Very good points. I walk to our gym and I suppose that is a luxury. Even better if everyone had a place they could easily walk to. And also +1 on the child care point.