NICE publishes new comprehensive guideline for overweight and obesity management
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released a new guideline – NG246 Overweight and obesity: clinical assessment and management.
This guideline replaces and consolidates multiple previous publications to provide a more streamlined, holistic approach to supporting individuals living with overweight and obesity.
The updated guidance redefines how healthcare professionals should approach the subject, with a key shift towards personalised, respectful and long-term management strategies. Overweight and obesity are now explicitly recognised as chronic health conditions requiring ongoing support, rather than one-off interventions.
One of the most significant updates in NG246 is the emphasis on language, timing and sensitivity when discussing weight. The guideline also recommends using both BMI and waist-to-height ratio to assess risk where appropriate and highlights the need to account for ethnic variations in risk profiles. Clinicians are encouraged to support individuals in understanding and self-monitoring these measurements.
The guidance outlines a flexible framework for interventions which includes dietary approaches, physical activity, medications and personal goals.
In terms of service delivery NICE recommends moving away from the traditional “tiered” model, instead categorising services as:
Universal services (e.g. health promotion and primary care)
Behavioural weight management services
Specialist services, including medication and surgery where appropriate
Prevention remains key and the guideline underscores the importance of prevention, particularly in early-years settings, through promotion of healthy eating and physical activity from a young age.
Read the full guideline here