Private hospitals, nutrition centres, and non-profit organizations are competing for a share of the boom market in slimming and fitness services.
The Consumer Council has conducted a survey on the emergence of dietetic services operated by 20 such institutions offering an alternative choice for the beauty-conscious.
Included in the survey were 8 private hospitals, 8 nutrition centres and 4 non-profit organizations with 14 of them offering dietetic package services in weight control (both weight loss and weight gain).
In addition, the survey covered also their disease-related dietetic services to patients of diabetes and hypertension.
Individual consultation is provided by all of them in these dietetic services. In some cases, the service charge for the initial visit ranged from $200 to $650 and follow-up appointments from free of charge to $485. Others charged a uniform fee of $200 to $600 per visit.
For package services, the prices varied substantially from plan to plan and from operator to operator, ranging from $810 to as much as $48,000 in weight control package, and $570 to $6,999 in disease-related package.
The significant price variations were attributed to the service contents, for example, medical consultation by physicians, number of visits, laboratory tests, and different professionals involved, exercise assessment and exercise class, etc.
In the survey, only a few organizations requested as entry requirements doctors' referral or relevant medical history.
To consumers in search of disease-related dietetic advice such as for people with diabetes and hypertension, the Hong Kong Nutrition Association and Hong Kong Dietitians Association advise that dietitians should be approached.
Here are some useful tips for the prospective consumers of such dietetic service:
- Before enrolling into a disease-related service, it is advisable to consult medical doctors for a detailed body check.
- Always look for qualified nutritional professional and consult only dietitian for disease-related service. As there is no statutory registration or licensing for dietitians and nutritionists in Hong Kong, always ask the service provider for proof of education or training background.
- The programme should be individualized according to the age, gender, anthropometric indices (e.g. body mass index (BMI), fat ratio), health condition and lifestyle.
- It should focus on safe and practical goals. For example, a safe goal for weight reduction would be 1 to 2 pounds per week with a daily caloric deficit of 500 to 1,000 kcal from diet restriction and increased exercise.
- It should focus on providing nutrition knowledge with the goal of empowering the participants to improve their diet and lifestyle routines in their daily life.
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