About £4,500 a month of NHS money is being spent on weight loss courses in north Essex.
NHS North East Essex provides packs of vouchers – costing about £35 – for Weightwatchers classes or for its own Shape Up scheme.
The vouchers give access to 12 weeks of either scheme and about 130 people are referred each month.
Bosses believe tackling obesity this way is cost effective because it stops people getting weight-related illnesses.
Senior public health specialist Chris French said: “The cost to the NHS for a 12-week voucher pack is £35 and you have to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 28 or above to be eligible.
“We believe this represents good value when compared to the cost of tackling health problems caused by obesity if people don’t lose weight.
- More in today's Gazette
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