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Overview
Obesity is described by the UK Public Health Association and the Faculty of Public Health as ‘an excess of body fat frequently resulting in a significant impairment of health and longevity.’ Obesity has serious consequences for health and life expectancy. People who are obese die on average nine years earlier than those of normal weight. Obesity increases the risk of several diseases including:
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Heart disease and stroke
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Osteoarthritis
- Some cancers such as breast cancer and colon cancer
Obesity has serious economic consequences too. The cost of treating obesity-related disorders, and of indirect consequences such as sickness absence, were estimated at £3.3 – £3.7 billion for England in 2002 (House of Commons Health Committee, 2004).
In recent years there has been an ‘epidemic’ rise in obesity rates. In both England and the South East, obesity levels have increased significantly, although levels in this region remain below the national average. Rising levels of obesity in children are particularly worrying and the government has set a target ‘to halt the year-on-year rise in obesity among children under 11 by 2010, in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole.’
Many factors contribute to obesity but ultimately it is caused by individuals consuming more energy (calories) than they use. The excess calories are stored by the body as fat. At societal level the major causes are changes to dietary habits (such as larger portions, higher fat convenience foods, snacking on junk foods) and a general reduction in levels of physical activity. Action to tackle obesity must address both sides of the equation, which means not only altering accepted behavioural norms in terms of eating habits and physical activity, but also encouraging environmental and policy changes to enable people to be more active and eat more appropriately.
For resources specific to Childhood Obesity, please visit our Childhood Obesity topic page.
The new National Obesity Observatory will provide a single point of contact for wide-ranging authoritative information on data, evidence and practice related to obesity, overweight, underweight and their determinants. An interim website is available at www.noo.org.uk |
