Should we bribe the fat to get fit?

As doctors trial a new incentive scheme ...

NO

When I was training my Labrador puppy, I would reward her with a doggie treat when she responded to commands. eventually, she learned to do my bidding without the treats. I am not a dog, however, nor do I wish to be treated like one.

So when I heard that the nhS is piloting a scheme with Sweatcoin, the step-counting free app with the snappy slogan: ‘It pays to walk’, as part of its drive to tackle our national obesity crisis, my heart sank. The app partners with brands to reward users with vouchers for being ‘good’ on the basis of putting one foot in front of the other, which they can spend on products and experiences.

Talk about putting a sticking plaster over a giant, gaping wound.

Of course, some are going to argue that anything that encourages us to get up off our backsides is worth a go. After all, it’s predicted that five million Brits will have diabetes by 2025, 90 per cent of those having Type 2, the version that is largely a result of unhealthy lifestyles.

We do need to take steps to tackle this issue, but not the ones that you get paid for via a smartphone app — that’s just another way of tip-toeing around an issue that needs to be tackled face on. That ‘ Fat’ has become the F-word that nobody dare utter for fear of causing offence.

But informing people that they are unhealthily overweight and en route to chronic illness and early death is not the same as stigmatising them.

Why should grown-ups be rewarded for doing what is one of the most basic, natural human activities of all? As natural as breathing, eating and sleeping. Let’s get real, let’s get walking — but, please, let’s tackle the ticking timebomb that is diabetes in a sensible way that doesn’t reward people for taking responsibility for their own wellbeing.

‘ It’s putting a plaster on a gaping ’ wound