Healthy child vouchers
In the UK, 7m families receive child benefit, costing the UK government up to £11 billion a year. This is currently given as a cash payment. One suggestion is a change to child benefit whereby the government could offer the families of overweight children a “healthy child” voucher instead of cash.
This voucher would be worth exactly the same amount in cash terms – the change would lie in what the child benefit could be spent on. 2 Popular Natural Supplements For Weight Loss For Females. A voucher could restrict spending to include only healthy food sold by registered retailers, healthy meals in participating restaurants, or access to sports clubs.
Donuts or an apple? Financial incentives could make the answer easier. Shutterstock
Vouchers have been tried to a lesser extent, and proved successful at improving the quality of family diets. However, they’ve never been used as part of a wider system, in a way designed to really change behaviours – the “healthy child voucher” might be able to achieve this.
Of course, not all families of overweight children receive child benefit, so the financial incentives would need to differ where a family has a higher income. 2 Supplements To Burn Fat While Sleeping. These households could, for example, make extra tax payments and as children move towards a healthier weight, the tax could be reduced. Taxation has already been shown to be successful to reduce smoking.
A key part of this scheme would be to identify the children who are overweight. In England, all children in reception and year six have their height and weight measured at school and this could be easily scaled up to include children from all year groups. Best Supplements For Weight Loss For Females of 2022. Children identified as overweight could be referred to the scheme in complete confidence, and then monitored more frequently – possibly as part of a GP-incentive scheme, until the child reaches a healthy weight.