La Libre Pesée : pour que les personnes en fauteuil roulant connaissent et surveillent leur poids

Abstract

Wheelchair-dependent people are all too rarely weighed, due to the lack of suitable and available scales. La Libre Pesée (free weighing) is an initiative designed to give them the opportunity to do so. Materials and methodsLibre Pesée combines : free-access weighing platforms installed in premises open to the public; a network of care or accommodation establishments for dependent persons who accept the free use of their weighing platform; a weight monitoring booklet containing nutritional recommendations; communication actions. ResultsFour platforms have been set up since 2014 in Rennes, Fougères, Lannion and Redon and 31 establishments in the health area are taking part in the Libre Pesée. The quarterly means of the number of weighings per working day increased from 0.81±0.15 to 1.44±0.21 (P<0.0001) between 2015–2016 and 2018–2019. Electric chairs are used by 86% of people with low weight and by 89% of people with massive obesity, and manual chairs by 58% of people with moderate or severe obesity. The actions and documents have received the NSP label. Communications were made during eight regional and national congresses. All four sites participated in the 2020 “undernutrition week”. ConclusionThe “Libre Pesée” allows wheelchair-dependent people to weigh themselves without assistance, regularly, free of charge, discreetly, close to their homes, with accurate wheelchair accessible scales, in places that serve the public. It helps to reduce the lack of access to nutritional care of which they are victims.