Children as young as four have been sent to NHS weight loss clinics as part of a nationwide scheme to tackle severe obesity. More than 6,000 children and young people with severe obesity have been referred to NHS England’s Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) clinics for children since the initiative started in 2021. The latest date shows that over the past five years, 6,497 patients were treated at CEW clinics set up so people can lose weight and receive treatment for health complications related to obesity. Of this group, 423 were four years old and younger, while 1,088 were between five and eight years old. There were 1,791 children aged 9-12, while 13-17-year-olds made up the majority with 3,137. Almost 40 clinics were set up in 2021 as part of the initiative to tackle childhood obesity . Children were referred by a community paediatrician or GP if they had a body mass index above the 99.6 percentile.…