Two in three English people are overweight or obese, NHS says

This article was taken from: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/two-in-three-english-people-are-overweight-or-obese-nhs-says-in-bleak-study-a4008036.html

By James  Morris

Nearly two in three English people are overweight or obese, a new study by the NHS has found.

The NHS’s Health Survey for England, released today, found 64 per cent of adults are overweight or obese according to Body Mass Index (BMI) scores. This compares to 53 per cent recorded in last year’s report.

The latest figures include 5 per cent of women and 2 per cent of men who are morbidly obese. In 1993, when the survey began, just 1 per cent of women were classed as morbidly obese.

Caroline Cerny, from the Obesity Health Alliance charity, told the Standard: “It’s very concerning. We know that having obesity increases the risk of preventable diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but also impacts on quality of life.”

Of the increase in overweight and obese people, Ms Cerny said: “The environment we live in has changed dramatically around us. The world is set up to encourage unhealthy choices.

“Rather than buy one get one free deals on fruit and veg, you see them on biscuits and chocolate. The majority of adverts on TV are for pizzas, and fast food.

“This bombardment makes it harder for us to make healthy choices. It only take a little too many calories, every day, to experience big weight gain.”

The NHS’s survey in general painted a bleak picture of health in England.

Meanwhile, 19 per cent of adults had three or more risk factors to their health, while 14 per cent reported having had a cardiovascular disease.

And thirty-four per cent of adults said they were living with chronic pain.

There was some good news on smoking, however. Seventeen per cent of adults said they were current smokers, compared to 27 per cent in 1993.

The stats were compiled using interviews with 7,997 adults and 1,985 children.