Obesity rate in district one of worst in England
SURVEY FINDS
THIRD OF ADULTS ARE SERIOUSLY OVERWEIGHT,
PEOPLE in one part of Leicestershire are among the most likely to be seriously overweight in the country.
A third of people aged 18 and over in North West Leicestershire were obese in November.
In a survey of more than 300 areas of England by the new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), the district ranked joint-21st for rate of obesity.
Across England, the average obesity rate was 25.3 per cent, up from 22.7 per cent in 2016.
The district also saw the biggest increase in average weight. Obesity levels were 32.4 per cent in November 2016.
The statistics were based on Sport England’s Active Lives survey, which includes body mass index (BMI) data.
A BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 is generally considered healthy. A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is overweight, 30 and 39.9 is obese and over 40 is extremely obese.
After North West Leicestershire, the district of Blaby had the next highest obesity rate in the county, at 30.1 per cent, followed by Melton (28.8) and Charnwood (22.9).
In Harborough, 21.9 per cent of adults were estimated to be obese, which was the lowest in the county and only slightly up from 21.6 per cent five years earlier.
Obesity is linked to lower life expectancy and can increase the risk and severity of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, at least 12 kinds of cancer, liver and respiratory disease, and mental health issues.
Figures from the 1980 National Heights and Weights Survey suggest 6 per cent of men and 9 per cent of women aged 16 and over were obese.
The latest OHID figures also show people in the most deprived areas of the country were much more likely to be obese.
The poorest districts had an average obesity rate of 36.8 per cent, while the richest had a rate of 19.2 per cent.
Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said the data showed the urgent need for action.
In 2020, the government announced plans to tackle obesity, calling it “one of the greatest long-term health challenges this country faces”.
Its pledges included expanding NHS weight management services, improving calorie labelling on foods, ending the promotion of junk foods by restricting buy one get one free offers and other deals, and ending pre-watershed TV adverts for unhealthy snacks.
Ministers delayed implementing the television advertising and junk food offer bans earlier this year, citing the “unprecedented global economic situation”.