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Obesity

A graphic reprenting an obese man wrapped in a union flag

Obesity

Obesity is more than simply being overweight. The fact is that about 38% of people in the UK are overwight and all of those are at risk of becoming obese. To be obese is to be so overweight that it becomes unhealthy. Being obese not only impacts our lifestyle but can have quite tragic outcomes because obesity can cause a number of serious illnesses that are potentially fatal.

The medical condition of obesity is determined by measuring the Body Mass Index(BMI):

BMI = weight in kg/height im meters²


BMI range(kg/m²) definition
Under 18.5 Underweight
18.5 to less than 25 Normal
25 to less than 30 Overweight
30 and over Obese
40 and over Morbidly obese

The highest obesity rates in the EU

To understand how well the UK is doing it helps to compare ourselves with countries in similar positions. The data we will use comes from an NHS document "Statistics on obesity, physical activity and diet: England, January 2008" published on 31st January 2008.

The chart ranks the UK with most of the EU countries. A few were left out because of space constraints, but it does not effect the overall ranking of the UK. Once again the UK data is only for England because that is how the NHS data is given. The data is not all for the same year because survey periods vary from country to country, but it originates from an EU report dated 2004. This makes the data a little out of date, but trend data after 2003 shows the UK getting worse not better. The data is for people aged 15 and over.

Obesity ranking for EU countries

Source: NHS Statistics on obesity Table 2.17

Downloadable chart: "Obesity ranking for EU countries"

The first thing to notice is that there is very little correlation between rates of being overweight and obesity. For example Greece has the highest rate 43.3% for being overweight but one of the lowest 10.7% for obesity. With a rate of 22.7% the UK, or to be more precise England, is the highest rate of obesity in the EU. The UK government predicts if the trend does not change that by 2015 over 33% of men and 30% of women (aged between 21 and 60) will be obese.

An affluent disease

While obesity is a disease of affluent societies there is more to it than that. Looking at where we stand in Europe makes it clear that there are many affluent countries like the Netherlands and Italy that have obesity rates less than half that of the UK. This suggests that there are cultural factors and life style issues that play a big part in determining who will become obese.

There are also a number of eating disorders like bulimia, anorexia and compulsive eating that tell us many people in the UK use food to help them deal with the way their life is. People who suffer from anxiety and depression are prone to eating disorders, so there is a clear link between the British life style and our high rates for eating disorders and outcomes such as obesity. This suggests that there are factors in the British life style that make it more stressfull and less secure than countries like the Netherlands. Our "me first" culture that is supposed to lead us to the good life.

Obesity trend

The chart shows the trend for obesity rates in England from 1993 to 2006. The separate trends for women and men start off with women suffering significantly higher rates of obesity than men, however with the rising trend they converge to a point where there is little difference. What is not shown is the rates for those who are extremely or as the medics say morbidly obese. Here there are twice as many morbidly obese women 2.7% as men 1.4%. The rate for all adults in 2006 shows a 68% increase on that for 1993.

Obesity trend for the UK

Source: NHS Statistics on obesity Table 2.3

Downloadable chart: "Obesity trend for the UK"

If this continues the cost in personal health and in NHS treatment costs are considerable. A government inquiry quoted in an article in the Guardian "Obesity crisis to cost £45bn a year" forcasts that by 2050 obesity could cost the UK economy £45 Billion a year including £6.5 billion for NHS treatment.

The health risks are considerable because obesity increases risks for an number of potentially fatal conditions:

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Cancer

Obesity in children

The answer to how people acquire bad habits such as an unhealthy diet or lack of physical activity can often be found in their childhood. Here we see that the trend for children in the UK to be obese shows a strong upward trend until 2005 that does not bode well for the future. The data for 2006 shows reductions in obesity levels for both girls and boys, that suggests the trend may have reversed. However it is too soon to be sure.

Childhood obesity trend for the UK

Source: NHS Statistics on obesity Table 3.3

Downloadable chart: "Childhood obesity trend for the UK"

Childhood obesity is not simply habit forming because scientific research tells us that when we get obese we increase the number of fat cells in our body, and this happens more readily in growing children. However, we never loose the number of fat cells we have so a fat child is more likely to become a fat adult.

Physical activity and obesity

Apart from eating a good diet, the amount of physical activity a person takes is the second most significant factor in determining a persons weight. This chart make this quite clear and shows that this is more so for women than men. Women having a low physical activity are 2.6 times more likely to be obese than those with a high physical activity.

Physical activity and obesity

Source: NHS Statistics on obesity Table 4.4

Downloadable chart: "Physical activity and obesity"

Anyoner on a diet is more likely to succeed if they are taking regular exercise. It seems 30-60 minutes a day is required to be effective at reducing weight.

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