In 2022, 39 percent of men and 31 percent of women in England were classed as overweight. At first glance, it may seem that the share of overweight people in England has decreased since the year 2000, but the share of obesity in England has increased since then, indicating that England’s problem with weight has gotten worse. Strain on health service due to obesity The number of hospital admissions as a result of obesity in England has increased alongside this rise in obesity. In the period 2019/20, over eight thousand women and 2.6 thousand men were admitted to hospital. An escalation from the admission levels in 2002/03. The highest number of admissions due to obesity were found in the age group 45 to 54 years, with over 3.1 thousand admissions in that age group. Situation in Scotland In Scotland in 2020, the mean Body Mass Index of women was 27.8 and for men it was 27.5. A BMI of over 25 is classed as overweight. While the share of adults classed as obese or morbidly obese in Scotland in this year was 30 percent for women and 26 percent for men.

In 2022, 40 percent of women and 37 percent of men living in the North East of England were classed as obese, the highest rates for both genders. In most regions of England, around a third of adults had a BMI classed as obese.

This dataset consists of information on hospital admissions relating to being obese based on patient's gender and age. Data is taken from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) databank produced by NHS Digital.

Since 2002, there has been an increase in the number of hospital admissions for obesity in England. In 2022/23, there were almost 7,000 hospital admissions of women with a primary diagnosis of obesity and 2,000 hospital admissions for men, although both genders had their peak number of admissions in 2011/12. The highest number of admissions due to obesity were found in the age group 35 to 44 years, with over 2.1 thousand admissions. Obesity prevalence in England The prevalence of obesity among adults in England has been creeping upwards since 2000. In that year, 21 percent of men and women were classified as obese in England. However, by 2022 this share had increased to 30 percent for women and 28 percent of men. Situation north of the border In Scotland in 2023, the mean body mass index of women was 28.3 and for men it was 27.8. A BMI of over 25 is classed as overweight, with over 30 classed as obese. The share of adults classed as obese or morbidly obese in Scotland in this year was 29 percent for women and 26 percent for men.

Note, August 2011: A number of errors have been identified in Table 7.5 - GHQ 12 score by body mass index (BMI) and gender, 2008 on page 62 of the Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet: England, 2011 report. The errors also affect the corresponding table in the accompanying Excel workbook. The commentary in the pdf report is unaffected. Please see the errata note for further information and corrected figures. The NHS IC apologises for any inconvenience this may have caused. Summary: This statistical report presents a range of information on obesity, physical activity and diet, drawn together from a variety of sources. The topics covered include: overweight and obesity prevalence among adults and children physical activity levels among adults and children trends in purchases and consumption of food and drink and energy intake health outcomes of being overweight or obese This report contains seven chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction; this summarises Government plans and targets in this area, as well as providing sources of further information and links to relevant documents. Note, many of these were introduced by the previous government but were relevant at the time the data were collected. Chapters 2 to 6 cover obesity, physical activity and diet providing an overview of the key findings from a number of sources of previously published information, whilst maintaining useful links to each section of the reports. Additional analysis has been undertaken of the Health Survey for England (HSE) to provide more detailed information previously unpublished. Chapter 7: Health Outcomes; presents a range of information about the health outcomes of being obese or overweight which includes information on health risks, hospital admissions and prescription drugs used for treatment of obesity. Figures presented in Chapter 7 have been obtained from a number of sources and presented in a user-friendly format. Most of the data contained in the chapter have been published previously by the NHS Information Centre or the National Audit Office. Previously unpublished figures on obesity-related Finished Hospital Episodes and Finished Consultant Episodes for 2009/10 are presented using data from the NHS Information Centre's Hospital Episode Statistics as well as data from the Prescribing Unit at the NHS Information Centre on prescription items dispensed for treatment of obesity.

This statistic displays the prevalence of adolescent obesity* in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1975 to 2016, by gender. Between 1975 and 2005, the obesity rates for female adolescents in the UK was greater than that of male adolescents. This changed in 2010, when *** percent of male adolescents were considered obese, compared to *** percent of female adolescents. While the rate of obesity has continued to rise for males, female adolescents were less likely to be obese in 2015 and 2016 than they were in 2010.

This statistic displays the share of overweight individuals in England in 2022, by gender and region. In this year, 74 percent of men and 63 percent of women in the North East of England were classed as overweight.

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: P00849

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.

In the UK, national statistics show obesity and overweight rising in adults and children from 1993-2021 (NHS Digital, 2022). Obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) score of ≥30.0, with overweight defined as BMI ≥ 25.0 and <30.0, and both conditions are associated with significant health risks (World Health Organization, 2021). Obesity is linked to weight gain caused by a positive energy balance, meaning that the calorific intake through consuming food and drink is greater than calorific expenditure through physical activity. Around 38% of UK adults are overweight and a further 26% obese, prompting government interventions to improve public health.

Calorie labelling on menus in large cafes, restaurants, and food outlets (over 250 employees) was introduced in England by the UK government in 2022 as part of a strategy to raise awareness about healthy eating and reduce obesity (Department of Health and Social Care, 2022). Menus must show food calorie content in kilocalories (kcal) and state the daily calorie needs of adults. The idea was to provide dietary information that would enable individuals to be more intentional about what they chose to eat, with the aim of reducing their calorific intake.

There is some evidence that calorie labelling on menus can reduce calorific intake. In their meta-analysis, Nikolaou et al. (2015) reviewed six studies that had investigated calorie labelling and calories consumed in US restaurants. In some studies, but not all, there was a small reduction in calories purchased (12.4-38.1 kcal reduction per person) linked to labelling. The UK government (Department of Health and Social Care, 2021) summarised a range of studies on calorie labelling and consumption, mainly drawn from the US, and arrived at a similar conclusion that labelling did not always affect consumer choices, but when it did, there was a small reduction in calorie intake.

In a recent study with a large sample (N = 3,312) representing the US population, Jia et al. (2023) measured whether individuals noticed menu calorie labelling and, if they did, whether it affected their food choices. Twenty seven percent noticed and used labels to inform decisions about food, while 30% noticed labels but chose to ignore them. This implies that, while providing calorie labelling has utility for some individuals, others are not being reached through this approach. This suggests that US citizens have attitudes about the value they attribute to menu calorie labelling, and these views may mediate the effect of labelling information on calorific intake. In one of the very few studies in this area, Nikolaou et al. (2015) had also investigated menu calorie labelling preferences, but focused on young adults. In their US quantitative study (N = 1440), they found that 46% of participants welcomed calorie labelling, 30% did not want it, and 20% were undecided. The differences in findings between this study and that of Jia et al. (2023) could suggest an age effect, with younger people being more open to the benefits of menu calorie labelling. However, far more research is needed to state this with any conviction.

The research on psychological characteristics that predict calorie labelling preferences is very limited. There is some evidence that individuals’ sense of responsibility for their own health is associated with their menu calorie labelling preferences. In a South Korean study, Jeong & Ham (2018) collected survey data on health beliefs and menu labelling from 335 restaurant users. The survey questions assessed individuals’ use of labels in terms of the perceived health threats of non-use, health benefits of use, barriers to use (e.g., finding it difficult to understand the label), and cues to action (e.g., being encouraged by friends and family to use labels). Using structural equation modelling, Jeong & Ham found that perceived benefits strongly predicted label use (β = .66, p < .001), there were weak but significant relationships between label use and perceived barriers (β = -.19, p <.001) and perceived threats (β = .13, p < .01), and that cues to action predicted perceived threats (β = .37, p < .001) but not label use directly. Jeong & Ham’s study showed that health beliefs predict menu calorie label use in South Korea. However, this effect has not been demonstrated in other countries. Furthermore, the study’s focus was on the use of calorie labels rather than individuals’ views about them. The current study will investigate whether health-orientated beliefs influence menu calorie labelling preferences in the UK.

While it seems likely that individuals interested in optimising their health would value calorie labels as part of their personal health care, others may find labelling irritating or irrelevant, or even detrimental to health management. For example, calorie labelling may have a damaging effect on some individuals with eating disorders. Frances et al. (2023) conducted a qualitative survey of 399 individuals with an eating disorder history, using open-ended questions concerning calorie labelling and its impact on relationships and personal recovery. Following thematic analysis, the authors concluded that most participants considered calorie labelling hindered their recovery process, accentuated a sense of isolation, restricted their freedom, and increased their frustration and anger. Given that 20% of UK women are at risk of an eating disorder (NHS, 2020), Frances et al.’s work points to the potential negative impact of menu calorie labelling for an important segment of society. The full range of attitudes towards calorie labelling is worthy of research.

There is some evidence of a gender effect for the impact of menu calorie labelling on calorific intake. Roseman et al. (2017) conducted a field experiment in which 192 US university students were exposed to Burger King menus in one of four conditions, involving variations in calorie labelling information. The type of calorie information twinned with participants’ knowledge of nutrition significantly affected the intention to choose lower calorie foods, with a far greater impact on women than men. Nikolaou et al.’s (2015) study, described above, also found that young women reduced their calorific intake in response to menu calorie labelling significantly more than men did. In a survey-based study of 324 students in Croatia, Kresic et al. (2018) found that females appreciated the potential health benefits of calorie labelling significantly more than men did. These combined results suggested that women were more likely than men to be influenced by calorie labelling. However, the studies have not explored predictors of menu calorie labelling preferences.

One other variable of potential interest in menu calorie labelling is BMI, since it is often used as a screening method for weight category (e.g., underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obesity). A review of the literature indicates that the role of BMI in menu calorie labelling preference is largely unexplored. Indeed, Jia et al.’s (2023) study, described above, found that BMI had no effect on calorific intake linked to menu calorie labelling. This supports the idea that, at a population level, BMI is unlikely to predict menu calorie labelling preferences. An earlier study, Reale and Flint (2016), explored the impact of menu labelling on food choices in individuals with obesity. However, as they did not include a control of individuals with a lower BMI it is not possible to draw conclusions about the impact of BMI on menu labelling preferences. Further research is needed in this area, including whether the relationship between BMI and menu calorie labelling preferences are mediated by other variables, such as health-orientated beliefs and goals.

To the best of my knowledge, there has been no published study that combines health-orientated beliefs, gender, and calorie labelling preferences in the UK. The current study will aim to fill this gap.

In 2022/23, there were around 4.3 thousand women in England who had a primary diagnosis of obesity and a bariatric surgery, while around 800 men also had this procedure. Significantly more women compared to men undergo this procedure, although numbers have been lower since the COVID-19 pandemic.

This statistics display the distribution of weight classification in England in 2022, based on self--reported body mass index (BMI). In this year, 39 percent of men and 31 percent of women were classed as being overweight. Those with a BMI of between 25 and 29.9 are classed as overweight.

Observed body mass index (BMI) of adults. To help reduce the prevalence of obesity. Legacy unique identifier: P00844

OR odds ratio, CI confidence interval.*adjusted for levels of physical activity and alcohol consumption, and presence of hypertension and diabetes as well as gender, age, and socioeconomic deprivation decile as appropriate.Multivariate* binary logistic regression analysis of the association between smoking status and obesity stratified by gender, age and socioeconomic deprivation decile.

This statistic displays the proportion of children who are at risk of being overweight or obese in Scotland from 1998 to 2023, by gender. In 2023, 31 percent of boys and 30 percent of girls in Scotland were classed at risk of being overweight or obese.

The global prevalence of obesity is increasing across age and gender. The rising burden of obesity in young people contributes to the early emergence of type 2 diabetes. Having one parent obese is an independent risk factor for childhood obesity. While the detrimental impact of diet-induced maternal obesity on offspring is well established, the extent of the contribution of obese fathers is unclear, as is the role of non-genetic factors in the casual pathway. Here we show that paternal high fat diet exposure programmed M-NM-2-cell M-bM-^@M-^XdysfunctionM-bM-^@M-^Y in their F1 female offspring. Chronic high fat diet consumption in Sprague Dawley fathers led to increased body weight, adiposity, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Relative to controls, their female offspring had lower body weight at day-1, increased pubertal growth rate, impaired insulin secretion and glucose tolerance, in the absence of obesity or increased adiposity. Paternal high fat diet altered the expression of 211 pancreatic islet genes in adult female offspring (P < 0.001); genes belonged to 8 functional clusters, including calcium ion binding, primary metabolic processes and ATP binding, and organ/system development. Broader KEGG pathway analysis of 2014 genes differentially expressed at the P < 0.01 level further demonstrated involvement of insulin and calcium signaling, and MAPK pathways. This is the first reported study in mammals describing non-genetic, intergenerational transmission of metabolic sequelae of high fat diet from father to offspring. These findings support a role of fathers in metabolic programming of offspring and form a framework for further studies. F0 founders were male Sprague Dawley rats, divided into two groups: high fat (HF) and control. The HF fathers were given commercially prepared high-fat pellets (43% as fat), while the controls ate standard laboratory chow (9% as fat). The two groups of fathers had distinct phenotypes; the HF fathers were significantly heavier with increased adiposity, and they were also glucose intolerant and insulin resistant. At 15 weeks of age, fathers were mated with normal females consuming chow to generate the F1 offspring. Only female offspring were studied. Female offspring were weaned unto standard laboratory chow at 3 weeks. At 6 and 12 weeks, an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IpGTT) was performed to measure blood glucose and insulin profile; at 11 weeks, an intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test was done. The body weight and adiposity of these offspring were not different between the two groups. The HF offspring had glucose intolerance and impaired glucose-induced insulin response, mainly at the acute phase, observed since 6 weeks. The IpITT was not different between groups. At 14 weeks, fat was harvested from the two groups of offspring.

Since 2002, there has been a significant increase in the number of hospital admissions for obesity in England. In 2022/23, there were over 1.2 million hospital admissions which featured an obesity diagnosis, of which over 800 thousand admissions were among women.

Weight is the most common reason for being bullied at school - far more common than other targets for bullying such as ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Most schools have anti-bullying policies with best practice suggesting policies should explicitly identify forms of unacceptable behaviour.

We conducted an audit of secondary schools in southwest England to determine if/how they mention weight-related bullying in their policies. We obtained lists of all secondary mainstream state, private, and specialist schools in seven local authorities and downloaded anti-bullying policies from their websites. Policies were searched for key words related to weight and size. We also recorded whether policies mentioned appearance or other key targets for bullying, such as race, religion, sexuality etc. We obtained school level data including size, gender mix, academic performance and quality ratings.

Context: Obesity is common, affecting 16% of adults and 6% of children in Europe, but it is also highly stigmatized. People are discriminated against because of their weight in medical, education, and workplace settings, with serious consequences. People who experience weight stigma have worse mental health and quality of life. People with obesity avoid seeking healthcare due to fear of negative, stigmatizing interactions with medical professionals. Ironically, weight stigma may also contribute to obesity, by affecting eating patterns and acting as barrier to physical activity. When weight stigma is 'internalized', people come to believe that negative obesity-related stereotypes apply to themselves - for example, thinking of themselves as lazy, incompetent, or less valuable than others. This 'internalized' weight stigma is linked to disordered eating not only for people with obesity, but also for normal-weight and underweight people. This means that weight stigma is relevant to mental health across the bodyweight range. There is widespread concern that public health initiatives aiming to reduce obesity may contribute to weight stigma, making them less effective, and causing harm. For example, sending 'weight report cards' to parents of UK schoolchildren does not reduce obesity, but does make heavier children skip breakfast and feel tired and unhappy at school. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus on weight control during national lockdowns may have made this situation worse, contributing to a huge increase in referrals to eating disorder services. Weight stigma is becoming recognised as a public health problem in its own right, but we do not know how to reduce weight stigma or protect people from its effects. This is because weight stigma research has been almost entirely based on small samples which are not representative of the whole population. Research has also focused on the United States, so we know very little about weight stigma in the UK or Europe. We do not know how a person's ethnicity or gender might change their experience of stigma around their weight, or what makes some young people more likely than others to 'internalize' weight stigma. Finally, previous research which did use larger, more representative samples may have been biased because of the methods used. Aims: This project aims to transform current understanding of the extent of everyday weight stigma, who is most affected by it, and how it becomes internalized, using large, general population European surveys. Objective 1: Explore how risk of discrimination and harassment varies with combinations of different ethnicities, genders, and body sizes. Objective 2: Investigate the extent of weight stigma in the workplace, and if this is changing with time, using methods to avoid bias which may have affected earlier research. Objective 3. Identify risk factors which make young people more likely to internalize weight stigma (apply negative obesity-related stereotypes to themselves). Potential applications and benefits: Objective 1 will help identify groups of adults at especially high risk of discrimination and harassment for multiple reasons and help us better understand how discrimination plays out in the UK. Objective 2 will clarify the need to tackle weight stigma in the workplace, for instance via employee training programmes - and if this need may increase in the future. Objective 3 will help identify which groups of young people are most at risk of negative psychological effects of weight stigma, and factors which could be used to protect them. It will help us better understand the relationships between weight stigma and mental health, including eating disorders and depression, and how attitudes about weight are passed down through families. Findings can be used by organizations and policymakers aiming to mitigate the effects of weight, ethnic, and gender discrimination, reduce bullying in the workplace, and improve mental health.

In 2019, 27 percent of boys and 20 percent of girls aged between 11 and 15 years in England were classed as obese. Additionally, in the age group two to ten years old, 15 percent of boys and eight percent of girls were obese. Prevalence among adults The prevalence of obesity among adults in England has been creeping upwards since 2000. In that year, 21 percent of men and women were classed as obese in England. However, by 2021 this share had increased to 26 percent for women and 25 percent for men. Obesity heavy on the health service The number of hospital admissions as a result of obesity in England has increased alongside the general increase in obesity. In the year 2019/20, almost 8.1 thousand women and 2.7 thousand men were admitted to hospital. A vast rise from the admission levels in 2002/03. The highest number of admissions due to obesity were found in the age group 45 to 54 years, with over 3.1 thousand admissions in that age group.

The GECKO Drenthe study is a substudy of the bigger GECKO study, and has been designed to examine environmental and genetic risk factors for childhood obesity. All pregnant women living in Drenthe, a northern province of the Netherlands, were invited to participate in the third trimester of their pregnancy. Almost 3,000 children were recruited between April 1st, 2006, and April 1st, 2007. Of the children included, 52% were of male gender, 5% were born prematurely, the mean gestational age was 39.8 weeks.