View report page

Weight Watching Clinics
In the Boroughs of Islington and Camden holiday parties for obese girls were arranged in 1971 with considerable
success, as reported in their Principal School Medical Officers' Annual Reports. Such an experiment would be of
considerable value in this Borough if a suitable holiday home could be found. The planned Field Centre in
Wales comes to mind but this is understood not to be practicable at present.
The Weight Watching Clinics at Fortis Green and Burgoyne Road Medical Centres continued during the year.
The following report has been received from the Medical Officer at Burgoyne Road:—
"The "Obesity Clinic" Burgoyne Road developed considerably during the year, two sessions per month
being devoted exclusively to overweight children.
The number of patients has increased, and a special questionnaire — including an individual graph for each
child — has been devised, and, apart from check-ups of weight and height, the Blood Pressure and the thickness
of the skin fold are being recorded.
A total of 90 children (35 boys and 55girls) have been seen, the number of visits amounting to 266 (86 for boys —
mean 2.39 visits per child — and 180 for girls — mean 3.33 visits per child).
The ages of patients ranged from 5 years 3/12 to 16 years 10/12 — mean 10 years 9/12 for the boys, and, from
5 years /12 to 16 years 4/12 — mean 10 years 1 /12 for the girls (age recorded during the 1st attendance).
The overweight (= weight in excess of the ideal for age and height) during the first attendance was from
14lbs 8 ozs to 108lbs (boys) and from 78lbs 8ozs to 8lbs 3ozs (girls).
Of the 19 boys who attended more than once, 9 lost weight (biggest loss: 16lbs 8ozs), 9 gained (biggest gain:
14lbs 8ozs) and one remained the same. The remainder were seen only once.
Of the 42 girls who attended more than once, 26 lost weight (biggest loss: 15lbs 14ozs) and 16 gained (biggest
gain : 9lbs 11ozs). The remainder were seen only once.
It is of particular interest that the weight follow-up has been extended to the groups of toddlers and babies — even
the very young ones. No figures can be given as check-up and advising take place during the baby and toddler
clinics and for only a fraction of those a dossier has been made, but the general impression is that mothers respond
much better during these age groups, and the younger the baby is the prompter the loss in weight achieved, to
such an extent, that only few months following the initial warnings, the patient can be discharged. Only a
minimal fraction of failures can be reported."
The following is the report of the Medical Officer of Fortis Green Clinic:—
"Twenty children attended the clinic at Fortis Green during the year — ten being new cases and ten children who
had attended previously. The sexes were evenly distributed. The ages of the children attending ranged from
5 — 16 years, one-third of them being teenagers; and grossly obese children amounted to approximately
one-third.
Two children were discharged when their weights reduced to normal. A girl of 15 lost 42 lbs but the average loss
was only about 2lbs. although many children achieved a more normal appearance by a gain in height."
CONSULTANT SESSIONS
Orthopaedic Clinics
A fortnightly orthopaedic session is held at the Lordship Lane Clinic for children from the Tottenham and Wood
Green parts of the Borough. I am indebted to Mr. J.P.S. England, FRCS, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon,for
the following report of the year's work at the Lordship Lane Clinic:—
"During the course of the year some 19 Consultant Sessions were held and there was a total of 276 attendances.
Of these there were 128 new patients, being further broken down into 59 pre-school and 69 of school age. Of
the remainder, 67 follow-up visits were of pre-school age and 81 of school age.
A small proportion of these clinical attendances were referred to the Prince of Wales's General Hospital for
further x-rays and other investigations and were treated, if necessary, at this hospital. Those with scoliosis,
numbering some 4 or 5 during the year, were referred to Mr. Manning at the Royal National Orthopaedic
Hospital for his opinion in the Scoliosis Clinic and where appropriate, were then followed up at Lordship
Lane.
It is felt that this School Clinic is a valuable complementary adjunct to child orthopaedic care. A physiotherapist
is in constant attendance at the Clinics and runs her own sessions working together with the attending
Consultant and a surgical appliance fitter also attends at each consultant session."