Key Facts About Obesity:
Obesity, as defined by the World Health Organisation, is abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health.
A crude measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height (in metres). A person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese.
Obesity is considered a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
According to research by the House of Commons Library:
26% of women in England are living with obesity and a further 32% are living with overweight.
25% of men in England are living with obesity and a further 43% are living with overweight.
This is predicted to increase, contributing to the numerous associated physical and mental health conditions, and reduced life expectancy.
The Tony Blair Institute has released commentary (November 2023) on the economic cost of obesity and overweight to the UK, citing estimates at £98 billion in 2021, equivalent to almost 4 per cent of GDP.
Childhood obesity
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) found in 2021/22 that 10.1% of reception age children in England (ages 4-5) were obese, with a further 12.1% overweight. These proportions were higher among year 6 children (age 10-11), with 23.4% being obese and 14.3% overweight.
In 2021/22, 6.2% of children aged 4-5 living in the least deprived tenth of areas of England were obese. This compares with 13.6% of those living in the most deprived tenth of areas.
In Year 6 (ages 10-11), 13.5% of children living in the least deprived areas were obese, compared with 31.3% in the most deprived areas. In both age groups, children in the most deprived areas were approximately twice as likely to be obese.
Rates of severely obesity were around four times higher in the most deprived areas.
Wider facts about obesity
The UK has the highest rates of obesity in Western Europe and one of the highest amongst OECD countries .
Results from the most recent Public Health Survey for England show that 60% of women are living with overweight or obesity, and 70% of men are living with overweight or obesity.
Obesity is believed to account for 80-85% of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes .
