In England, there has been fairly significant increase in the mean weight of the population over the last quarter-century. In 1998, the mean weight was under 81 kilograms for men and around 68 kilograms for women. By 2022, the mean weight of men was 85.8 kilograms and the mean weight of women was 72.8 kilograms.

In 2022, men aged 55 to 64 years had an average body mass index (BMI) of 29 kg/m2 and women in the same age group had a BMI of 28.8 kg/m2, the highest mean BMI across all the age groups. Apart from individuals aged 16 to 24 years, every demographic in England had an average BMI which is classified as overweight.An increasing problem It is shown that the mean BMI of individuals for both men and women has been generally increasing year-on-year in England. The numbers show in England, as in the rest of the United Kingdom (UK), that the prevalence of obesity is an increasing health problem. The prevalence of obesity in women in England has increased by around nine percent since 2000, while for men the share of obesity has increased by six percent. Strain on the health service Being overweight increases the chances of developing serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancers. In the period 2019/20, England experienced over 10.7 thousand hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of obesity, whereas in 2002/03 this figure was only 1,275 admissions. Furthermore, the number of bariatric surgeries taking place in England, particularly among women, has significantly increased over the last fifteen years. In 2019/20, over 5.4 thousand bariatric surgery procedures were performed on women and approximately 1.3 thousand were carried out on men.

This report presents information on obesity, physical activity and diet drawn together from a variety of sources for England. More information can be found in the source publications which contain a wider range of data and analysis. Each section provides an overview of key findings, as well as providing links to relevant documents and sources. Some of the data have been published previously by NHS Digital. A data visualisation tool (link provided within the key facts) allows users to select obesity related hospital admissions data for any Local Authority (as contained in the data tables), along with time series data from 2013/14. Regional and national comparisons are also provided. The report includes information on: Obesity related hospital admissions, including obesity related bariatric surgery. Obesity prevalence. Physical activity levels. Walking and cycling rates. Prescriptions items for the treatment of obesity. Perception of weight and weight management. Food and drink purchases and expenditure. Fruit and vegetable consumption. Key facts cover the latest year of data available: Hospital admissions: 2018/19 Adult obesity: 2018 Childhood obesity: 2018/19 Adult physical activity: 12 months to November 2019 Children and young people's physical activity: 2018/19 academic year

The Health Survey for England series was designed to monitor trends in the nation's health; estimating the proportion of people in England who have specified health conditions, and the prevalence of risk factors and behaviours associated with these conditions. The surveys provide regular information that cannot be obtained from other sources. The surveys have been carried out since 1994 by the Joint Health Surveys Unit of NatCen Social Research and the Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at UCL. Each survey in the series includes core questions and measurements (such as blood pressure, height and weight, and analysis of blood and saliva samples), and modules of questions on topics that vary from year to year. The sample in 2015 contained 8,034 adults and 5,714 children and 5,378 adults and 1,297 children had a nurse visit.

This statistic displays the breakdown of body weight class among men and women in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015. Of respondents, 39 percent of men and 46 percent of women had a healthy body weight.

Values are expressed in SD scores (i.e., we calculated residuals after adjusting for age and the first 10 PC in men and women, followed by inverse normal transformation to a distribution with mean of 0 and SD of 1). Cochran–Armitage test for trend was used to compare carriers and noncarriers as well as individuals of normal weight and with obesity for IPAQ, comparative body size at age 10 years and comparative height at age 10 years. P values are reported for adjusted means for age, sex, and 10 PCs. IPAQ, International Physical Activity Questionnaire; MET, metabolic equivalent minutes; PC, principle component; PRSBMI, standardized scores of the polygenic risk score of BMI with mean 0 and SD of 1; SD, standard deviation. (XLSX)

Supplementary Information files for: Contribution of 20-year body mass index and waist circumference history to poor cardiometabolic health in overweight/obese and normal weight adults: a cohort studyBackground and Aims: We investigated the associations of 20-year body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) histories with risk of being 1) metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese (MUOO) vs metabolically healthy overweight/obese (MHOO) and 2) metabolically unhealthy normal weight (MUNW) vs metabolically healthy normal weight (MHNW). Methods and Results: Participants comprised 3,018 adults (2,280 males; 738 females) with BMI and WC measured, every ~5 years, in 1991-1994, 1997-1999, 2002-2004, 2007-2009, and 2012-2013. Mean age in 2012-2013 was 69.3 years, with a range of 59.7-82.2 years. Duration was defined as the number of times a person was overweight/obese (or centrally obese) across the 5 visits, severity as each person’s mean BMI (or WC), and variability as the within-person standard deviation of BMI (or WC). At the 2013-2013 visit, participants were categorised based on their weight (overweight/obese or normal weight; body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 ) and health status (healthy or unhealthy; two or more of hypertension, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high triglycerides, high glucose, and high homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance). Logistic regression was used to estimate associations with the risk of being MUNW (reference MHNW) and MUOO (reference MHOO) at the last visit. BMI and WC severity were each related to increased risk of being unhealthy, with estimates being stronger among normal weight than overweight/obese adults. The estimates for variability exposures became null upon adjustment for severity. Individuals who were overweight/obese at all 5 time points had a 1.60 (0.96-2.67) times higher risk of being MUOO than MHOO compared to those who were only overweight/obese at one (i.e., the last) time point. The corresponding estimate for central obesity was 4.20 (2.88-6.12). Greater duration was also related to higher risk of MUNW than MHNW. Conclusion: Being overweight/obese yet healthy seems to be partially attributable to lower exposure to adiposity across 20 years of adulthood. The results highlight the importance of maintaining optimum and stable BMI and WC, both in adults who become and do not become overweight/obese.

Observed and age-standardised proportion of adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m2. To help reduce the prevalence of obesity. Legacy unique identifier: P00848

Supplementary information files for: The associations of maternal and paternal obesity with latent patterns of offspring BMI development between 7-17 years of age: pooled analyses of cohorts born in 1958 and 2001 in the United Kingdom Objective We aimed to 1) describe how the UK obesity epidemic reflects a change over time in the proportion of the population demonstrating adverse latent patterns of BMI development and 2) investigate the potential roles of maternal and paternal BMI in this secular process. Methods We used serial BMI data between 7-17 years of age from 13220 boys and 12711 girls. Half the sample was born in 1958 and half in 2001. Sex-specific growth mixture models were developed. The relationships of maternal and paternal BMI and weight status with class membership were estimated using the 3-step BCH approach, with covariate adjustment. Results The selected models had five classes. For each sex, in addition to the two largest normal weight classes, there were “normal weight increasing to overweight” (17% of boys and 20% of girls), “overweight increasing to obesity” (8% and 6%), and “overweight decreasing to normal weight” (3% and 6%) classes. More than 1-in-10 children from the 2001 birth cohort were in the “overweight increasing to obesity” class, compared to less than 1-in-30 from the 1958 birth cohort. Approximately 75% of the mothers and fathers of this class had overweight or obesity. When considered together, both maternal and paternal BMI were associated with latent class membership, with evidence of negative departure from additivity (i.e., the combined effect of maternal and paternal BMI was smaller than the sum of the individual effects). The odds of a girl belonging to the “overweight increasing to obesity” class (compared to the largest normal weight class) was 13.11 (8.74, 19.66) times higher if both parents had overweight or obesity (compared to both parents having normal weight); the equivalent estimate for boys was 9.01 (6.37, 12.75). Conclusions The increase in obesity rates in the UK over more than 40 years has been partly driven by the growth of a sub-population demonstrating excess BMI gain during adolescence. Our results implicate both maternal and paternal BMI as correlates of this secular process.

Article abstractBackground: There is extensive evidence that rapid infant weight gain increases the risk of childhood obesity, but this is normally based on childhood body mass index (BMI) only and whether or not this is because infants with rapid weight gain accrue greater fat mass is unknown.Objective: The primary objective of our study was to test whether the proportion of infant weight gain due to concurrent increases in fat mass is greater in infants with rapid weight gain as compared to those with normal growth.Methods: Body composition was assessed by 1) air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) at 0 & 6 months in 342 infants from Australia, India, and South Africa and 2) deuterium dilution (DD) at 3 & 24 months in 555 infants from Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Weight gain and length growth were each categorized as slow, normal, or rapid using cut-offs of < -0.67 or >+0.67 Z-scores. Regression was used to estimate and contrast the percentages of weight change due to fat mass change.Results: Approximately 40% of the average weight gain between 0-6 months and 20% of the average weight gain between 3-24 months was due to increase in fat mass. In both samples, compared to the normal group, the proportion of weight gain due to fat mass was higher on average among infants with rapid weight gain and lower among infants with slow weight gain, with considerable individual variability. Conversely, slow and rapid length growth was not associated with differential gains in fat mass.Conclusions: Pediatricians should monitor infant growth with the understanding that, while crossing upward through the weight centiles generally is accompanied by greater adiposity gains (not just higher BMI), upward crossing through the length centiles is not.

*It should be noted that the expedition ended on day 47 and the expedition end value was extrapolated from the measurements made on days 40 and 45.

The Health Survey Northern Ireland (HSNI) was commissioned by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and the Central Survey Unit (CSU) of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) carried out the survey on their behalf. This survey series has been running on a continuous basis since April 2010 with separate modules for different policy areas included in different financial years. It covers a range of health topics that are important to the lives of people in Northern Ireland. The HSNI replaces the previous Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey (available under SNs 4589, 4590 and 5710).

Adult BMI, height and weight measurements, accompanying demographic and derived variables, geography, and a BMI weighting variable, are available in separate datasets for each survey year.

Further information is available from the https://www.nisra.gov.uk/health-survey-northern-ireland" title="Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency">Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/topics/doh-statistics-and-research/health-survey-northern-ireland" title="Department of Health (Northern Ireland)">Department of Health (Northern Ireland) survey webpages.

The Health Survey Northern Ireland, 2016-2017 provides a source of information on a wide range of health issues relevant to Northern Ireland. The information collected is pursuing the development of policies aimed at improving the health and well-being of the Northern Ireland population.

Supplementary files for article "Combined associations of obesity and physical activity with pain, fatigue, stiffness, and anxiety in adults with spondyloarthropathies: UK Biobank study"Objective: Inflammatory spondyloarthropathies (ISpAs) are associated with pain, fatigue, stiffness, and anxiety. The National Institute for Care and Excellence (NICE) and the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) provide limited lifestyle guidance for managing symptoms with ISpAs. We investigated the combined associations of obesity and physical activity with symptom severity in ISpAs.Methods: The relationship between BMI, physical activity, and symptom severity (spinal and general pain, fatigue, anxiety, mobility) was examined in people with ISpAs (n = 1,577). BMI categories were normal weight (18·5-24·9 kg/m2), overweight (25·0-29·9 kg/m2), and obese (≥30 kg/m2). Physical activity was assessed via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (low<600 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-min/week, moderate≥600METs, high≥3000METs). Statistical models adjusted for confounders, including medication, estimated the likelihood (odds ratios; OR) of higher symptom severity across BMI and physical activity categories. Results: Overweight and obesity, compared to normal weight, were linked to higher severity of all symptoms, with stronger associations for obesity (OR ≥ 2·34, P < 0·001) than overweight (OR ≥ 1.37, P ≤ 0·032). Moderate activity, compared to low, was associated with lower severity of all symptoms (OR ≤ 0·77, P ≤ 0·032). High activity, compared to low, was associated with lower severity of fatigue, anxiety, and mobility issues (OR ≤ 0·74, P ≤ 0·029), but associations with spinal and general pain were not significant (OR ≤ 0·80, P ≥ 0·056). No BMI-by-physical activity combinations were detected, indicating physical activity benefits all BMI groups to a similar extent. Conclusion: NICE and EULAR guidance for ISpAs should emphasise maintaining a normal weight. Moderate physical activity is optimal for reducing symptom severity and should be promoted in lifestyle guidance.© The Authors, CC BY 4.0

The Health Survey for England (HSE) monitors trends in the nation’s health and care. It provides information about adults aged 16 and over, and children aged 0 to 15, living in private households in England. The survey consists of an interview, followed by a visit from a nurse who takes some measurements and blood and saliva samples. Interviews for children aged 0 to 12 were carried out with a parent; children aged 13 to 15 were interviewed directly. Children aged 8 to 15 filled in a self-completion booklet about their drinking and smoking behaviour and young adults, aged between 16 and 17 completed these questions directly into a computer. A total of 8,205 adults (aged 16 and over) and 2,095 children (aged 0 to 15) were interviewed in the 2019 survey. 4,947 adults and 1,169 children had a nurse visit. Each survey in the series includes core questions, and measurements such as blood pressure, height and weight measurements and analysis of blood and saliva samples. In addition, there are modules of questions on specific topics that vary from year to year. The Main Findings follow this page via the link at the bottom. Detailed reports and a link to the supporting Excel tables can be found further down this page and include: • Overweight and obesity in adults and children • Eating Disorders • Adults' health-related behaviours (includes smoking and alcohol consumption) • Children’s health (includes smoking and alcohol consumption) • Providing care to family and friends • Adults' health (includes diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol) • Use of health care services

This data originates from the Public Health Outcomes tool currently presents data for available indicators for upper tier local authority levels, collated by Public Health England (PHE). The data currently published here are the baselines for the Public Health Outcomes Framework, together with more recent data where these are available. The baseline period is 2010 or equivalent, unless these data are unavailable or not deemed to be of sufficient quality. The first data were published in this tool as an official statistics release in November 2012. Future official statistics updates will be published as part of a quarterly update cycle in August, November, February and May. The definition, rationale, source information, and methodology for each indicator can be found within the spreadsheet. Data included in the spreadsheet: 0.1i - Healthy life expectancy at birth0.1ii - Life Expectancy at 650.1ii - Life Expectancy at birth0.2i - Slope index of inequality in life expectancy at birth based on national deprivation deciles within England0.2ii - Number of upper tier local authorities for which the local slope index of inequality in life expectancy (as defined in 0.2iii) has decreased0.2iii - Slope index of inequality in life expectancy at birth within English local authorities, based on local deprivation deciles within each area0.2iv - Gap in life expectancy at birth between each local authority and England as a whole0.2v - Slope index of inequality in healthy life expectancy at birth based on national deprivation deciles within England0.2vii - Slope index of inequality in life expectancy at birth within English regions, based on regional deprivation deciles within each area1.01i - Children in poverty (all dependent children under 20)1.01ii - Children in poverty (under 16s)1.02i - School Readiness: The percentage of children achieving a good level of development at the end of reception1.02i - School Readiness: The percentage of children with free school meal status achieving a good level of development at the end of reception1.02ii - School Readiness: The percentage of Year 1 pupils achieving the expected level in the phonics screening check1.02ii - School Readiness: The percentage of Year 1 pupils with free school meal status achieving the expected level in the phonics screening check1.03 - Pupil absence1.04 - First time entrants to the youth justice system1.05 - 16-18 year olds not in education employment or training1.06i - Adults with a learning disability who live in stable and appropriate accommodation1.06ii - % of adults in contact with secondary mental health services who live in stable and appropriate accommodation1.07 - People in prison who have a mental illness or a significant mental illness1.08i - Gap in the employment rate between those with a long-term health condition and the overall employment rate1.08ii - Gap in the employment rate between those with a learning disability and the overall employment rate1.08iii - Gap in the employment rate for those in contact with secondary mental health services and the overall employment rate1.09i - Sickness absence - The percentage of employees who had at least one day off in the previous week1.09ii - Sickness absence - The percent of working days lost due to sickness absence1.10 - Killed and seriously injured (KSI) casualties on England's roads1.11 - Domestic Abuse1.12i - Violent crime (including sexual violence) - hospital admissions for violence1.12ii - Violent crime (including sexual violence) - violence offences per 1,000 population1.12iii- Violent crime (including sexual violence) - Rate of sexual offences per 1,000 population1.13i - Re-offending levels - percentage of offenders who re-offend1.13ii - Re-offending levels - average number of re-offences per offender1.14i - The rate of complaints about noise1.14ii - The percentage of the population exposed to road, rail and air transport noise of 65dB(A) or more, during the daytime1.14iii - The percentage of the population exposed to road, rail and air transport noise of 55 dB(A) or more during the night-time1.15i - Statutory homelessness - homelessness acceptances1.15ii - Statutory homelessness - households in temporary accommodation1.16 - Utilisation of outdoor space for exercise/health reasons1.17 - Fuel Poverty1.18i - Social Isolation: % of adult social care users who have as much social contact as they would like1.18ii - Social Isolation: % of adult carers who have as much social contact as they would like1.19i - Older people's perception of community safety - safe in local area during the day1.19ii - Older people's perception of community safety - safe in local area after dark1.19iii - Older people's perception of community safety - safe in own home at night2.01 - Low birth weight of term babies2.02i - Breastfeeding - Breastfeeding initiation2.02ii - Breastfeeding - Breastfeeding prevalence at 6-8 weeks after birth2.03 - Smoking status at time of delivery2.04 - Under 18 conceptions2.04 - Under 18 conceptions: conceptions in those aged under 162.06i - Excess weight in 4-5 and 10-11 year olds - 4-5 year olds2.06ii - Excess weight in 4-5 and 10-11 year olds - 10-11 year olds2.07i - Hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate injuries in children (aged 0-14 years)2.07i - Hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate injuries in children (aged 0-4 years)2.07ii - Hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate injuries in young people (aged 15-24)2.08 - Emotional well-being of looked after children2.09i - Smoking prevalence at age 15 - current smokers (WAY survey)2.09ii - Smoking prevalence at age 15 - regular smokers (WAY survey)2.09iii - Smoking prevalence at age 15 - occasional smokers (WAY survey)2.09iv - Smoking prevalence at age 15 years - regular smokers (SDD survey)2.09v - Smoking prevalence at age 15 years - occasional smokers (SDD survey)2.12 - Excess Weight in Adults2.13i - Percentage of physically active and inactive adults - active adults2.13ii - Percentage of physically active and inactive adults - inactive adults2.14 - Smoking Prevalence2.14 - Smoking prevalence - routine & manual2.15i - Successful completion of drug treatment - opiate users2.15ii - Successful completion of drug treatment - non-opiate users2.16 - People entering prison with substance dependence issues who are previously not known to community treatment2.17 - Recorded diabetes2.18 - Admission episodes for alcohol-related conditions - narrow definition2.19 - Cancer diagnosed at early stage (Experimental Statistics)2.20i - Cancer screening coverage - breast cancer2.20ii - Cancer screening coverage - cervical cancer2.21i - Antenatal infectious disease screening – HIV coverage2.21iii - Antenatal Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening - coverage2.21iv - Newborn bloodspot screening - coverage2.21v - Newborn Hearing screening - Coverage2.21vii - Access to non-cancer screening programmes - diabetic retinopathy2.21viii - Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening2.22iii - Cumulative % of the eligible population aged 40-74 offered an NHS Health Check2.22iv - Cumulative % of the eligible population aged 40-74 offered an NHS Health Check who received an NHS Health Check2.22v - Cumulative % of the eligible population aged 40-74 who received an NHS Health check2.23i - Self-reported well-being - people with a low satisfaction score2.23ii - Self-reported well-being - people with a low worthwhile score2.23iii - Self-reported well-being - people with a low happiness score2.23iv - Self-reported well-being - people with a high anxiety score2.23v - Average Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) score2.24i - Injuries due to falls in people aged 65 and over2.24ii - Injuries due to falls in people aged 65 and over - aged 65-792.24iii - Injuries due to falls in people aged 65 and over - aged 80+3.01 - Fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution3.02 - Chlamydia detection rate (15-24 year olds)3.02 - Chlamydia detection rate (15-24 year olds)3.03i - Population vaccination coverage - Hepatitis B (1 year old)3.03i - Population vaccination coverage - Hepatitis B (2 years old)3.03iii - Population vaccination coverage - Dtap / IPV / Hib (1 year old)3.03iii - Population vaccination coverage - Dtap / IPV / Hib (2 years old)3.03iv - Population vaccination coverage - MenC3.03ix - Population vaccination coverage - MMR for one dose (5 years old)3.03v - Population vaccination coverage - PCV3.03vi - Population vaccination coverage - Hib / Men C booster (5 years)3.03vi - Population vaccination coverage - Hib / MenC booster (2 years old)3.03vii - Population vaccination coverage - PCV booster3.03viii - Population vaccination coverage - MMR for one dose (2 years old)3.03x - Population vaccination coverage - MMR for two doses (5 years old)3.03xii - Population vaccination coverage - HPV3.03xiii - Population vaccination coverage - PPV3.03xiv - Population vaccination coverage - Flu (aged 65+)3.03xv - Population vaccination coverage - Flu (at risk individuals)3.04 - People presenting with HIV at a late stage of infection3.05i - Treatment completion for TB3.05ii - Incidence of TB3.06 - NHS organisations with a board approved sustainable development management plan3.07 - Comprehensive, agreed inter-agency plans for responding to health protection incidents and emergencies4.01 - Infant mortality4.02 - Tooth decay in children aged 54.03 - Mortality rate from causes considered preventable4.04i - Under 75 mortality rate from all cardiovascular diseases4.04ii - Under 75 mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases considered preventable4.05i - Under 75 mortality rate from cancer4.05ii - Under 75 mortality rate from cancer considered preventable4.06i - Under 75 mortality rate from liver disease4.06ii - Under 75 mortality rate from liver disease considered preventable4.07i - Under 75 mortality rate from respiratory disease4.07ii - Under 75 mortality rate from respiratory disease considered preventable4.08 - Mortality

The Health Survey for England (HSE) is part of a programme of surveys commissioned by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. It has been carried out since 1994 by the Joint Health Surveys Unit of NatCen Social Research and the Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at UCL (University College London). The study provides regular information that cannot be obtained from other sources on a range of aspects concerning the public's health and many of the factors that affect health. The series of Health Surveys for England was designed to monitor trends in the nation's health, to estimate the proportion of people in England who have specified health conditions, and to estimate the prevalence of certain risk factors and combinations of risk factors associated with these conditions. The survey is also used to monitor progress towards selected health targets. Each survey in the series includes core questions and measurements (such as blood pressure, anthropometric measurements and analysis of blood and saliva samples), as well as modules of questions on specific issues that vary from year to year. In some years, the core sample has also been augmented by an additional boosted sample from a specific population subgroup, such as minority ethnic groups, older people or children; there was no boost in 2012. This is the 22nd annual Health Survey for England. All surveys have covered the adult population aged 16 and over living in private households in England. Since 1995, the surveys have included children who live in households selected for the survey; children aged 2-15 were included from 1995, and infants under two years old were added in 2001. Those living in institutions were outside the scope of the survey. This should be borne in mind when considering survey findings, since the institutional population is likely to be older and less healthy than those living in private households. The HSE in 2012 provided a representative sample of the population at both national and regional level. 9,024 addresses were randomly selected in 564 postcode sectors, issued over twelve months from January to December 2012. Where an address was found to have multiple dwelling units, a random selection was made and a single dwelling unit was included. Where there were multiple households at a dwelling unit, again one was selected at random. All adults and children in selected households were eligible for inclusion in the survey. Where there were three or more children aged 0-15 in a household, two of the children were selected at random to limit the respondent burden for parents. A nurse visit was arranged for all participants who consented. A total of 8,291 adults and 2,043 children were interviewed. A household response rate of 64 per cent was achieved. 5,470 adults and 1,203 children had a nurse visit. It should be noted that, as in 2011, there was no child boost sample in 2012. Thus the scope for analyses of some data for children may be limited by relatively small sample sizes.

In 2022, the mean waist circumference in England among the age group of 65 to 74 years was 104.5 centimeters for men and 91.3 centimeters for women. The was the age group with the largest average waist circumference among men, while the highest among women was reported in the age groups 55 to 64 years and above 75 years. Age and gender differences in very high waist circumference The 2022 data shows that the age group between 65 and 74 years in England had the largest share of men with very high waist circumference at 54 percent, whereas 56 percent of the women in the age group from 55 to 64 years had the same classification. Interestingly, both men and women. The youngest age group, 16 to 34 years, had the smallest share of individuals with very high waist circumference for both genders, with men at 17 percent and women at 34 percent. Obesity trends and health implications The increasing waist sizes align with broader obesity trends in England. In 2022, the mean body mass index (BMI) for both men and women was 27.6, which falls into the overweight category. This is part of a steady upward trend since 1998. The prevalence of obesity has also risen, with 30 percent of women and 28 percent of men classified as obese in 2022, up from 21 percent for both genders in 2000. Additionally, 39 percent of men and 31 percent of women were classified as overweight in 2022, while the share of individuals classified as having normal body weight was 31 percent among men and 37 percent among women in England.

Contains tabulated outputs on each topic from the Health Survey for England 2018

According to a December 2022 survey of the most popular New Year’s resolutions in the United Kingdom, 53 percent of respondents are planning on exercising more or improving their fitness in 2023. The second-most-popular responses, at 43 percent of respondents, were losing weight and improving diet.

A healthy lifestyle

The most popular New Year’s resolutions for 2023 in the UK were health related, specifically about fitness and diet. Both British women and men aim to improve their fitness - a trend that is likely to contribute to the growth of the gym, health, and fitness club market size in the country. Moreover, they are planning on following a healthier diet and losing weight. This habit was already popular among UK survey respondents in 2022, with over 60 percent of them trying actively to eat healthily and 30 percent of them trying to eat less meat.

Social media in the United Kingdom

Another popular New Year’s resolution in the UK is to spend less time on social media. In 2022, the number of social media users in the country amounted to around 62.7 million and was forecast to increase in the near future. In that same year, most people used social media every day, with TikTok recording the highest average monthly use time.

Proportion of adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 25 and under 30 kg/m2. To help reduce the prevalence of obesity. Legacy unique identifier: P00846