People Living With Obesity

• In the UK, more than 1 in 4 adults is obese
• Increase in the proportion of overweight or obese adults between 1993 and 2001 – Increase has slowed since then and in SNEE there has been no statistically significant change in rates since 2015.

• age group most likely to be overweight or obese in 2019 was age 65-74
• In most age groups, men are more likely than women to be overweight or obese
• Obesity is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Overweight and obesity are associated with the following:

An increased risk of developing (or exacerbation of) a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including:

• Type 2 diabetes.
• Coronary heart disease.
• Hypertension and stroke.
• Asthma.
• Depression.
• Metabolic syndrome.
• Dyslipidaemia.
• Cancer.
• Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
• Gallbladder disease
• Reproductive problems.
• Osteoarthritis and back pain.
• Obstructive sleep apnoea.
• Breathlessness.
• Psychological distress.
• Decreased life expectancy:
• Life expectancy is reduced by about 2–4 years in people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30–35 kg/m2, and by about 8–10 years in people with a BMI of 40–50 kg/m2

The risk of obesity in adulthood and risk of future obesity-related ill health are greater as children get older. Studies tracking child obesity into adulthood have found that the probability of children who are overweight or living with obesity becoming overweight or obese adults increases with age.

The health consequences of childhood obesity include: increased blood lipids, glucose intolerance, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, increases in liver enzymes associated with fatty liver, exacerbation of conditions such as asthma and psychological problems such as social isolation, low self-esteem, teasing and bullying.

More data: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/national-child-measurement-programme/data#page/3/gid/8000011/pat/30000/par/al-xjCMMWePgk/ati/401/are/E07000200/iid/20601/age/200/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1/page-options/car-do-0

Hospital Admissions per 100,000 population for Bariatric Surgery

For more information https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiODU0MTU4NGYtMWQwZS00OTE0LThjNjYtZmY5NmZjNDcwOTRjIiwidCI6IjUwZjYwNzFmLWJiZmUtNDAxYS04ODAzLTY3Mzc0OGU2MjllMiIsImMiOjh9

• Prevalence of obesity varies by region and with gender, age, household income (in women but not men), education and socio-economic background, and ethnicity.
• Deprivation: in the most deprived areas in England, prevalence of excess weight is 13 percentage points higher than the least deprived areas
• Disability: among people with disabilities, excess weight is 11 percentage points higher than among those without disabilities.

Ethnicity: Of all ethnic groups in the UK, Black people have the highest rates of excess weight – 67.5% of Black adults were overweight or obese – with White British people having the next highest rates of excess weight than (63.7%)

Education and socio-economic background affect the prevalence of obesity. Reciprocally, obesity contributes to reinforcing existing social inequalities – Compared with non-obese people, obese people have poorer job prospects, are less likely to be employed, have more difficulty re-entering the labour market. They also earn about 10% less than their non-obese colleagues

Among people with no qualifications, rates of excess weight are 12 percentage points higher than among people with level 4 qualifications or higher (i.e. a degree)

“People in the UK today don’t have less willpower and are not more gluttonous than previous generations. Nor is their biology significantly different to that of their forefathers. Society, however, has radically altered over the past five decades, with major changes in work patterns, transport, food production and food sales. These changes have exposed an underlying biological tendency, possessed by many people, to both put on weight and retain it….. The pace of the technological revolution is outstripping human evolution and, for an increasing number of people, weight gain is the inevitable – and largely involuntary – consequence of exposure to a modern lifestyle.”

Foresight Tackling Obesities: Future Choices Project

Guidance for implementing ‘All our health’ on childhood obesity highlights the potential harms children can experience:

The guidance recommends best practice for health professionals:

• Recognise obesity is complex with many drivers including
  behaviour, environment, genetics and culture
• Understand the activities and interventions that can support
  individuals and families to achieve and maintain a healthier
  weight
• Be mindful of weight bias, and use neutral, non-blaming,
  factual language when discussing weight with families
• Think about how professionals can role model healthy
  behaviours
• Promote and support healthy home environments to
  families

People with larger bodies face significant stigma. World Obesity explains:

• Weight stigma is a result of weight bias – negative ideologies include laziness, lack of will power, a lack of moral character, bad hygiene, low level of intelligence and unattractiveness.
• Stigmatising beliefs and ideologies can lead to stigmatising acts, including negative verbal commentaries, teasing, slights such as eye rolling and tutting, or even physical assault.
• Societal environment plays a part – e.g., seating in cinemas or airlines are not designed to accommodate people with obesity.
• In healthcare settings, doctors, nutritionists, dietitians, fitness professionals and exercise science students have a propensity to stereotype larger people as lazy, weak-willed, and noncompliant.
• Physicians generally have lower levels of respect for patients with higher BMI and generally spend less time providing consultations to patients with obesity compared to counterparts with healthy weight.
• Physicians can also make stigmatising comments – in one study, 53% of people with overweight and obesity reported receiving inappropriate comments from their doctor about their weight.
• People can also face a stigmatising physical environment, including gowns, chairs, and examination tables that cannot accommodate them.

SN03336.pdf (parliament.uk)

Active Lives | Sport England

Overweight adults – GOV.UK Ethnicity facts and figures (ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk)

Complications | Background information | Obesity | CKS | NICE

Obesity-Update-2017.pdf (oecd.org)

Tackling obesities: future choices – project report (2nd edition) (publishing.service.gov.uk)