{"id":49730,"date":"2021-03-04T17:00:25","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T16:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=49730"},"modified":"2021-03-10T18:54:26","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T17:54:26","slug":"we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/","title":{"rendered":"Covid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK\u2019s death rate from covid-19 is the fifth highest globally, largely due to the high number of people living with obesity and overweight. A new report from World Obesity Federation<\/a>, using data from 164 countries, found a 10-fold greater covid-19 death rate in countries where more than half the population are affected by overweight or obesity compared to countries with less than half their population affected.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the UK around 30% of covid-19 hospitalisations are directly attributed to overweight and obesity. [1]<\/span> People with overweight or obesity represent 77% of all critically ill covid-19 patients<\/span>.<\/span> [2]<\/span><\/p>\n

Obesity causes inflammation throughout the body and impairs the body\u2019s ability to fight off infections. These factors, coupled with the adverse effect of obesity on the lungs, are the most likely reasons why obesity increases the risk of contracting more severe covid-19. However, it is not just covid-19 we have to be concerned about. Obesity markedly increases the risk of people developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancers, and of dying prematurely. That\u2019s quite a list.<\/span><\/p>\n

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease, characterised by excess body fat that impairs health. Scientific advances have shown that the drivers of weight gain are complicated, but include genetic make-up, biological and social factors\u2014<\/span>the latter being markedly influenced by health inequalities. The impact of deprivation on obesity rates is deeply concerning, with adults in the most deprived regions having almost double the prevalence of obesity compared to the least deprived. The effect of deprivation upon childhood obesity is even more alarming. In 2018\/19, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 10-11 was 27% in the most deprived areas and 13% in the least deprived areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, the Royal College of Physicians formed the Inequalities in Health Alliance, a coalition of over 150 organisations calling for a cross-government strategy to address health inequalities for good; the very health inequalities that contribute to the high rates of obesity in the UK, hugely exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The government, driven by the UK prime minister Boris Johnson\u2019s hospital admission with covid-19, recognised <\/span>the link between obesity and covid-19 severity and announced a new obesity strategy for England last July. This included a marketing campaign, consultation on a range of measures to restrict promotion and advertising of unhealthy foods, and additional weight management services. These measures represent significant strides forwards, but yet again focus on personal responsibility and fail to place enough emphasis on the biological, genetic, and social factors that drive weight gain. The RCP has long been calling for obesity to be recognised as a disease for this exact reason\u2014to change the narrative around obesity and take the onus off individual responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s proposal is the 14th government obesity strategy since 1992. But despite the 689 policies introduced in the last 29 years, rates of overweight and obesity have increased from 53% to 68%.<\/span> The key to success in addressing obesity and other health inequalities lies in shared responsibility between individual and the state. In order to make a real impact, <\/span>more emphasis must be placed on tackling food poverty.<\/span> In its 2020 Broken Plate report<\/a>, the Food Foundation found that on average, healthy <\/span>foods were three times <\/span>more expensive per calorie than less healthy foods. <\/span>For one in five people in England, who are living in poverty, eating healthy food is secondary to eating at all. <\/span>In order to make a real impact <\/span>more emphasis must be placed on tackling food poverty.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, lockdown restrictions and NHS pressures have markedly reduced access to specialist weight management services at a time when people need them the most. To improve the health of the 28% of adults affected by obesity and in particular the nearly two million adults with severe obesity, equitable access to effective, culturally-tailored weight management services is urgently needed. These services need investment and prioritisation<\/span><\/p>\n

If Boris Johnson wants to achieve his ambition to \u201cbuild back better\u201d he needs to take drastic action and implement a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities and obesity rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rachel Batterham <\/strong>is Royal College of Physicians\u2019 lead adviser on obesity and professor of obesity, diabetes, and endocrinology at University College London Hospital.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Competing interests<\/strong>: RB consults for ViiV and Gila and participates in Speakers\u2019 Bureaus for International Medical Press and Novo Nordisk. She is a Trustee for Obesity Empowerment Network UK, Association for the Study of Obesity and a Council Member for British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society, and a member of the National Bariatric Surgery Registry Committee.<\/em><\/p>\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/907966\/PHE_insight_Excess_weight_and_COVID-19__FINAL.pdf<\/li>\n
  2. ICNARC report on COVID-19 in cri\udbc0\udc01cal care: England, Wales and Northern Ireland 26 February 2021<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The UK\u2019s death rate from covid-19 is the fifth highest globally, largely due to the high number of people living with obesity and overweight. A new report from World Obesity […]<\/p>\n

    More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":49732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[223],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-bloggers"],"yoast_head":"\nCovid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better - The BMJ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Covid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better - The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The UK\u2019s death rate from covid-19 is the fifth highest globally, largely due to the high number of people living with obesity and overweight. A new report from World Obesity [...]More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-04T16:00:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-03-10T17:54:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2021\/03\/coronavirus_high_street_uk.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"julietwalker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bmj_latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bmj_latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"julietwalker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"julietwalker\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/373707d32533c2cbca204980b8cd3493\"},\"headline\":\"Covid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-04T16:00:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-10T17:54:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":793,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/coronavirus_high_street_uk.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Guest writers\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/\",\"name\":\"Covid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better - The BMJ\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/coronavirus_high_street_uk.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-04T16:00:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-10T17:54:26+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/coronavirus_high_street_uk.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/coronavirus_high_street_uk.jpg\",\"width\":540,\"height\":350,\"caption\":\"2C8PA67 An overweight man and woman wearing face masks in public in England following a law being passed making wearing face coverings compulsory in shops\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/04\\\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Covid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\",\"name\":\"The BMJ\",\"description\":\"Helping doctors make better decisions.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The BMJ\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg\",\"width\":852,\"height\":568,\"caption\":\"The BMJ\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bmjdotcom\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/bmj_latest\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/373707d32533c2cbca204980b8cd3493\",\"name\":\"julietwalker\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"julietwalker\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/author\\\/julietwalker\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Covid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better - The BMJ","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Covid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better - The BMJ","og_description":"The UK\u2019s death rate from covid-19 is the fifth highest globally, largely due to the high number of people living with obesity and overweight. A new report from World Obesity [...]More...","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/","og_site_name":"The BMJ","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/","article_published_time":"2021-03-04T16:00:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-03-10T17:54:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":540,"height":350,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2021\/03\/coronavirus_high_street_uk.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"julietwalker","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@bmj_latest","twitter_site":"@bmj_latest","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"julietwalker","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/"},"author":{"name":"julietwalker","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/person\/373707d32533c2cbca204980b8cd3493"},"headline":"Covid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better","datePublished":"2021-03-04T16:00:25+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-10T17:54:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/"},"wordCount":793,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2021\/03\/coronavirus_high_street_uk.jpg","articleSection":["Guest writers"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/","name":"Covid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better - The BMJ","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2021\/03\/coronavirus_high_street_uk.jpg","datePublished":"2021-03-04T16:00:25+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-10T17:54:26+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2021\/03\/coronavirus_high_street_uk.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2021\/03\/coronavirus_high_street_uk.jpg","width":540,"height":350,"caption":"2C8PA67 An overweight man and woman wearing face masks in public in England following a law being passed making wearing face coverings compulsory in shops"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/04\/we-must-tackle-obesity-and-health-inequalities-in-order-to-build-back-better\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Covid-19: We must tackle obesity and health inequalities in order to build back better"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/","name":"The BMJ","description":"Helping doctors make better decisions.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization","name":"The BMJ","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/05\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/05\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg","width":852,"height":568,"caption":"The BMJ"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/","https:\/\/x.com\/bmj_latest"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/person\/373707d32533c2cbca204980b8cd3493","name":"julietwalker","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"julietwalker"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/author\/julietwalker\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}