The prevalence of obesity among adults in England has been generally been trending upwards since 2000. In that year, 21 percent of men and women in England were classified as obese. However, by 2022 this share was 30 percent among women and 28 percent among men. Obesity causing strain on health service As the prevalence of obesity is increasing in England, the number of hospital admissions as a result of obesity has also increased. In the period 2019/20, around eight thousand women and nearly 2.7 thousand men were admitted to hospital. A huge rise from the admission levels fifteen years previously. 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 2022, the mean Body Mass Index of women was 28.1 and for men it was 27.9. A BMI of over 25 is classed as overweight. While the prevalence of obesity or morbid obesity in Scotland in 2020 was 30 percent among women and 26 percent among men.

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.

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 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.

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.

The HSCIC will be changing future publication dates for the four compendia reports which cover smoking, alcohol, drugs and obesity. The new dates for these reports will be approximately: Smoking - will move from end August to end May. Alcohol - will move from end May to end June. Drugs - will move from end November to end March. Obesity - will stay at end Feb (but 3rd March for 2015). One advantage of this change is that the Hospital Admissions data used in the Drugs compendia will now be able to use final data instead of provisional. A consequence is there will be no drugs compendia in 2015 with the next report being in March 2016. However, all the other data used in the report will be available from the sources where it is initially published. If you have any concerns over these changes then please send an email by 27 February 2015 to enquiries@hscic.gov.uk setting out your concerns. 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 which consist of the following: - Chapter 1: Introduction; this summarises government policies, targets and outcome indicators in this area, as well as providing sources of further information and links to relevant documents. - Chapters 2 to 6 cover obesity, physical activity and diet and provides an overview of the key findings from these sources, whilst maintaining useful links to each section of these reports. - 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 this report have been obtained from a number of sources and presented in a user-friendly format. Some of the data contained in the chapter have been published previously by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). Previously unpublished figures on obesity-related Finished Hospital Episodes and Finished Consultant Episodes for 2012-13 are presented using data from the HSCIC's Hospital Episode Statistics as well as data from the Prescribing Unit at the HSCIC 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 9.4 percent of male adolescents were considered obese, compared to 9.2 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.

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.

The spreadsheet contains regional level obesity trend data from the the HSE, BMI data from Understanding Society, and adjusted prevalence of underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity by local authority from the Active People Survey.

Understanding Society data shows the percentage of the population aged 10 and over by their Body Mass Index Classification, covering underweight, normal weight, overweight, and three classes of obesity.

Questions on self-reported height and weight were added to the Sport England Active People Survey (APS) in January 2012 to provide data for monitoring excess weight (overweight including obesity, BMI ≥25kg/m2) in adults (age 16 and over) at local authority level for the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF).

Health Survey for England (HSE) results at a national level are available on the NHS Information Centre website.

Other NHS indicators on obesity are available for Strategic Health Authorities (SHA).

Relevant links: http://discover.ukdataservice.ac.uk/series/?sn=2000053

http://www.noo.org.uk/visualisation/adult_obesity

This statistic displays the share of children in England aged 10-11 years who were classed as overweight or obese from 2007/08 to 2023/24. In 2023/24, 35.8 percent of children aged 10-11 years in England were classed as overweight or obese.

Prevalence of underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obese children.

The data covers children in Reception year (aged 4-5) and Year 6 (aged 10-11)

There is the potential for error in the collection, collation and interpretation of the data (bias may be introduced due to poor response rates and selective opt out of larger children which it is not possible to control for).

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) does not include children in the Independent sector, therefore, coverage of school children aged 4-5 is not complete.

Data from The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Lifestyle Statistics / Department of Health Cross-Government Obesity Unit NCMP Dataset.

95% confidence intervals should be taken into account when making direct comparisons of two different prevalence figures.
Where confidence intervals overlap, it is not possible to say that a difference is statistically significant.

Local Authority mapping in this data has been based on school location. Since 2010/11 data by location of pupil residence is also available from the Information Centre website.

Ward level data can be downloaded from the National Obesity Observatory website and is also shown in the GLA ward profiles.

Relevant links: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/ncmp

http://www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=13778&topics=1%2fPublic+health%2fLifestyle&pubdate=DEC%2c2013&sort=Relevance&s

Note 27/01/12: An error affecting 2 rows in each of Table 3A and 3B within the NCMP England, 2010/11 Online Tables excel workbook have been identified. The errors affect figures for Central Bedfordshire Unitary Authority (row 216 in each table) and Cornwall Unitary Authority (row 385 in each table). The errors do not affect England level figures or data shown for any other breakdowns within other tables. The pdf file NCMP England, 2010/11 Report is unaffected. The NCMP England, 2010/11 Online Tables excel workbook has been re-issued with a corrected version of Tables 3A and 3B. These tables also have revised footnotes. Please see the errata note for further information. The NHS IC apologises for any inconvenience this may have caused. Summary: This report summarises the key findings from the Government's National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for England, 2010/11 school year. The report provides high-level analysis of the prevalence of 'underweight', 'healthy weight', 'overweight', 'obese' and 'overweight and obese combined' children, in Reception (aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10-11 years), measured in state schools in England in the school year 2010/11. The National Obesity Observatory (NOO) will produce additional analysis of 2010/11 NCMP data (expected to be published in Spring 2012). The anonymised national dataset will also be made available to Public Health Observatories (PHOs) to allow regional and local analysis of the data. In addition, NOO have included 2010/11 NCMP data (as well as data from previous years) in an e-Atlas - an interactive mapping tool that enables the user to compare a range of indicators, examine correlations and make regional and national comparisons. See 'Look up results for your area' on the right hand side.

SUMMARYThis analysis, designed and executed by Ribble Rivers Trust, identifies areas across England with the greatest levels of physical illnesses that are linked with obesity and inactivity. Please read the below information to gain a full understanding of what the data shows and how it should be interpreted.ANALYSIS METHODOLOGYThe analysis was carried out using Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) data, derived from NHS Digital, relating to:- Asthma (in persons of all ages)- Cancer (in persons of all ages)- Chronic kidney disease (in adults aged 18+)- Coronary heart disease (in persons of all ages)- Diabetes mellitus (in persons aged 17+)- Hypertension (in persons of all ages)- Stroke and transient ischaemic attack (in persons of all ages)This information was recorded at the GP practice level. However, GP catchment areas are not mutually exclusive: they overlap, with some areas covered by 30+ GP practices. Therefore, to increase the clarity and usability of the data, the GP-level statistics were converted into statistics based on Middle Layer Super Output Area (MSOA) census boundaries.For each of the above illnesses, the percentage of each MSOA’s population with that illness was estimated. This was achieved by calculating a weighted average based on:- The percentage of the MSOA area that was covered by each GP practice’s catchment area- Of the GPs that covered part of that MSOA: the percentage of patients registered with each GP that have that illnessThe estimated percentage of each MSOA’s population with each illness was then combined with Office for National Statistics Mid-Year Population Estimates (2019) data for MSOAs, to estimate the number of people in each MSOA with each illness, within the relevant age range.For each illness, each MSOA was assigned a relative score between 1 and 0 (1 = worst, 0 = best) based on:A) the PERCENTAGE of the population within that MSOA who are estimated to have that illnessB) the NUMBER of people within that MSOA who are estimated to have that illnessAn average of scores A & B was taken, and converted to a relative score between 1 and 0 (1= worst, 0 = best). The closer to 1 the score, the greater both the number and percentage of the population in the MSOA predicted to have that illness, compared to other MSOAs. In other words, those are areas where a large number of people are predicted to suffer from an illness, and where those people make up a large percentage of the population, indicating there is a real issue with that illness within the population and the investment of resources to address that issue could have the greatest benefits.The scores for each of the 7 illnesses were added together then converted to a relative score between 1 – 0 (1 = worst, 0 = best), to give an overall score for each MSOA: a score close to 1 would indicate that an area has high predicted levels of all obesity/inactivity-related illnesses, and these are areas where the local population could benefit the most from interventions to address those illnesses. A score close to 0 would indicate very low predicted levels of obesity/inactivity-related illnesses and therefore interventions might not be required.LIMITATIONS1. GPs do not have catchments that are mutually exclusive from each other: they overlap, with some geographic areas being covered by 30+ practices. This dataset should be viewed in combination with the ‘Health and wellbeing statistics (GP-level, England): Missing data and potential outliers’ dataset to identify where there are areas that are covered by multiple GP practices but at least one of those GP practices did not provide data. Results of the analysis in these areas should be interpreted with caution, particularly if the levels of obesity/inactivity-related illnesses appear to be significantly lower than the immediate surrounding areas.2. GP data for the financial year 1st April 2018 – 31st March 2019 was used in preference to data for the financial year 1st April 2019 – 31st March 2020, as the onset of the COVID19 pandemic during the latter year could have affected the reporting of medical statistics by GPs. However, for 53 GPs (out of 7670) that did not submit data in 2018/19, data from 2019/20 was used instead. Note also that some GPs (997 out of 7670) did not submit data in either year. This dataset should be viewed in conjunction with the ‘Health and wellbeing statistics (GP-level, England): Missing data and potential outliers’ dataset, to determine areas where data from 2019/20 was used, where one or more GPs did not submit data in either year, or where there were large discrepancies between the 2018/19 and 2019/20 data (differences in statistics that were > mean +/- 1 St.Dev.), which suggests erroneous data in one of those years (it was not feasible for this study to investigate this further), and thus where data should be interpreted with caution. Note also that there are some rural areas (with little or no population) that do not officially fall into any GP catchment area (although this will not affect the results of this analysis if there are no people living in those areas).3. Although all of the obesity/inactivity-related illnesses listed can be caused or exacerbated by inactivity and obesity, it was not possible to distinguish from the data the cause of the illnesses in patients: obesity and inactivity are highly unlikely to be the cause of all cases of each illness. By combining the data with data relating to levels of obesity and inactivity in adults and children (see the ‘Levels of obesity, inactivity and associated illnesses: Summary (England)’ dataset), we can identify where obesity/inactivity could be a contributing factor, and where interventions to reduce obesity and increase activity could be most beneficial for the health of the local population.4. It was not feasible to incorporate ultra-fine-scale geographic distribution of populations that are registered with each GP practice or who live within each MSOA. Populations might be concentrated in certain areas of a GP practice’s catchment area or MSOA and relatively sparse in other areas. Therefore, the dataset should be used to identify general areas where there are high levels of obesity/inactivity-related illnesses, rather than interpreting the boundaries between areas as ‘hard’ boundaries that mark definite divisions between areas with differing levels of these illnesses. TO BE VIEWED IN COMBINATION WITH:This dataset should be viewed alongside the following datasets, which highlight areas of missing data and potential outliers in the data:- Health and wellbeing statistics (GP-level, England): Missing data and potential outliersDOWNLOADING THIS DATATo access this data on your desktop GIS, download the ‘Levels of obesity, inactivity and associated illnesses: Summary (England)’ dataset.DATA SOURCESThis dataset was produced using:Quality and Outcomes Framework data: Copyright © 2020, Health and Social Care Information Centre. The Health and Social Care Information Centre is a non-departmental body created by statute, also known as NHS Digital.GP Catchment Outlines. Copyright © 2020, Health and Social Care Information Centre. The Health and Social Care Information Centre is a non-departmental body created by statute, also known as NHS Digital. Data was cleaned by Ribble Rivers Trust before use.COPYRIGHT NOTICEThe reproduction of this data must be accompanied by the following statement:© Ribble Rivers Trust 2021. Analysis carried out using data that is: Copyright © 2020, Health and Social Care Information Centre. The Health and Social Care Information Centre is a non-departmental body created by statute, also known as NHS Digital.CaBA HEALTH & WELLBEING EVIDENCE BASEThis dataset forms part of the wider CaBA Health and Wellbeing Evidence Base.

This set of files contains public data used to validate the grocery data. All references to the original sources are provided below.CHILD OBESITYPeriodically, the English National Health Service (NHS) publishes statistics about various aspects of the health and habits of people living in England, including obesity. The NHS National Child Measurement (NCMP) measures the height and weight of children in Reception class (aged 4 to 5) and year 6 (aged 10 to 11), to assess overweight and obesity levels in children within primary schools. The program is carried out every year in England and statistics are produced at the level of Local Authority (that corresponds to Boroughs in London). We report the data for the school year 2015-2016 (file: child_obesity_london_borough_2015-2016.csv). For the school year 2013-2014, statistics in London are also available at ward-level (file: child_obesity_london_ward_2013-2014.csv)The files are comma-separated and contain the following fields: area_id: the id of the boroughnumber_reception_measured: number of children in reception year measurednumber_y6_measured: number of children in reception year measuredprevalence_overweight_reception: the prevalence (percentage) of overweight children in reception year prevalence_overweight_y6: the prevalence (percentage) of overweight children in year 6prevalence_obese_reception: the prevalence (percentage) of obese children in reception yearprevalence_obese_y6: the prevalence (percentage) of obese children in year 6ADULT OBESITYThe Active People Survey (APS) was a survey used to measure the number of adults taking part in sport across England and included two questions about the height and weight of participants. We report the results of the APS for the year 2012. Prevalence of underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obese people at borough level are provided in the file london_obesity_borough_2012.csv.The file is comma-separated and contains the following fields: area_id: the id of the boroughnumber_measured: number of people who participated in the surveyprevalence_healthy_weight: the prevalence (percentage) of healthy-weight peopleprevalence_overweight: the prevalence (percentage) of overweight peopleprevalence_obese: the prevalence (percentage) of obese peopleBARIATRIC HOSPITALIZATIONThe NHS records and publishes an annual compendium report about the number of hospital admissions attributable to obesity or bariatric surgery (i.e., weight loss surgery used as a treatment for people who are very obese), and the number of prescription items provided in primary care for the treatment of obesity. The NHS provides both raw counts at the Local Authority level and numbers normalized by population living in those areas. In the file obesity_hospitalization_borough_2016.csv, we report the statistics for the year 2015 (measurements made between Jan 2015 and March 2016).The file is comma-separated and contains the following fields:area_id: the id of the boroughtotal_hospitalizations: total number of obesity-related hospitalizationstotal_bariatric: total number of hospitalizations for bariatric surgeryprevalence_hospitalizations: prevalence (percentage) of obesity-related hospitalizations prevalence_bariatric: prevalence (percentage) of bariatric surgery hospitalizations DIABETESThrough the Quality and Outcomes Framework, NHS Digital publishes annually the number of people aged 17+ on a register for diabetes at each GP practice in England. NHS also publishes the number of people living in a census area who are registered to any of the GP in England. Based on these two sources, an estimate is produced about the prevalence of diabetes in each area. The data (file diabetes_estimates_osward_2016.csv) was collected in 2016 at LSOA-level and published at ward-level.The file is comma-separated and contains the following fields:area_id: the id of the wardgp_patients: total number of GP patients gp_patients_diabetes: total number of GP patients with a diabetes diagnosisestimated_diabetes_prevalence: prevalence (percentage) of diabetesAREA MAPPINGMapping of Greater London postcodes into larger geographical aggregations. The file is comma-separated and contains the following fields:pcd: postcodelat: latitudelong: longitudeoa11: output arealsoa11: lower super output areamsoa11: medium super output areaosward: wardoslaua: borough

Proportion of children aged 4 to 5 years classified as living with obesity. For population monitoring purposes, a child’s body mass index (BMI) is classed as overweight or obese where it is on or above the 85th centile or 95th centile, respectively, based on the British 1990 (UK90) growth reference data. The population monitoring cut offs for overweight and obesity are lower than the clinical cut offs (91st and 98th centiles for overweight and obesity) used to assess individual children; this is to capture children in the population in the clinical overweight or obesity BMI categories and those who are at high risk of moving into the clinical overweight or clinical obesity categories. This helps ensure that adequate services are planned and delivered for the whole population.

Rationale There is concern about the rise of childhood obesity and the implications of obesity persisting into adulthood. 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[1,2,3]. 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.

It is important to look at the prevalence of weight status across all weight/BMI categories to understand the whole picture and the movement of the population between categories over time.

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence have produced guidelines to tackle obesity in adults and children - http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG43.

1 Guo SS, Chumlea WC. Tracking of body mass index in children in relation to overweight in adulthood. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1999;70(suppl): 145S-8S.

2 Serdula MK, Ivery D, Coates RJ, Freedman DS, Williamson DF, Byers T. Do obese children become obese adults? A review of the literature. Preventative Medicine 1993;22:167-77.

3 Starc G, Strel J. Tracking excess weight and obesity from childhood to young adulthood: a 12-year prospective cohort study in Slovenia. Public Health Nutrition 2011;14:49-55.

Definition of numerator Number of children in reception (aged 4 to 5 years) with a valid height and weight measured by the NCMP with a BMI classified as living with obesity or severe obesity (BMI on or above 95th centile of the UK90 growth reference).

Definition of denominator Number of children in reception (aged 4 to 5 years) with a valid height and weight measured by the NCMP.

Caveats Data for local authorities may not match that published by NHS England which are based on the local authority of the school attended by the child or based on the local authority that submitted the data. There is a strong correlation between deprivation and child obesity prevalence and users of these data may wish to examine the pattern in their local area. Users may wish to produce thematic maps and charts showing local child obesity prevalence. When presenting data in charts or maps it is important, where possible, to consider the confidence intervals (CIs) around the figures. This analysis supersedes previously published data for small area geographies and historically published data should not be compared to the latest publication. Estimated data published in this fingertips tool is not comparable with previously published data due to changes in methods over the different years of production. These methods changes include; moving from estimated numbers at ward level to actual numbers; revision of geographical boundaries (including ward boundary changes and conversion from 2001 MSOA boundaries to 2011 boundaries); disclosure control methodology changes. The most recently published data applies the same methods across all years of data. There is the potential for error in the collection, collation and interpretation of the data (bias may be introduced due to poor response rates and selective opt out of children with a high BMI for age/sex which it is not possible to control for). There is not a good measure of response bias and the degree of selective opt out, but participation rates (the proportion of eligible school children who were measured) may provide a reasonable proxy; the higher the participation rate, the less chance there is for selective opt out, though this is not a perfect method of assessment. Participation rates for each local authority are available in the https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/national-child-measurement-programme/data#page/4/gid/8000022/ of this profile.

This report summarises the key findings from the Government’s National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for England. The report provides high-level analysis of the prevalence of ‘underweight’, ‘healthy weight’, ‘overweight’, ‘obese’ and 'overweight and obese combined' children, in Reception (typically aged 4–5 years) and Year 6 (typically aged 10–11 years), measured in state schools in England.

PHE Obesity Knowledge & Information team (K&I) will conduct additional analyses (expected to be published in mid 2015), and the anonymised national dataset will be made available to PHE Obesity K&I to allow regional and local analyses of the data. Additionally, PHE Obesity K&I also present NCMP data in an online data tool that enables the user to examine patterns and trends at local authority level. This interactive data tool will be updated with the 2013-14 NCMP data in early January 2015 and will be available on the following link:

http://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/national-child-measurement-programme