Overweight and obesity: where are we and where are we heading? Harry Rutter harry.rutter@lshtm.ac.uk
Prevalence of excess weight among adults aged 16+ years Health Survey for England 1993-2010 70 60 Prevalence of excess weight (%) 50 40 30 20 10 0 93-95 94-96 95-97 96-98 97-99 98-00 99-01 00-02 01-03 02-04 03-05 04-06 05-07 06-08 07-09 08-10 Survey year (3-year average) Excess weight (overweight and obesity) has risen amongst adults over the last two decades. Adult excess weight: BMI 25kg/m 2
Prevalence of excess weight among children aged 2-15 years Health Survey for England 1995-2010 40 35 Boys Girls All children Prevalence of excess weight (%) 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 95-97 96-98 97-99 98-00 99-01 00-02 01-03 02-04 03-05 04-06 05-07 06-08 07-09 08-10 Survey year (3-year average) Overall, excess weight has levelled off amongst children, but at a very high level. Child excess weight: BMI 85 th centile of the UK90 growth reference
Trend in morbid obesity prevalence for adults (16+) by sex Health Survey for England 1993-2010 4.5% 4.0% Prevalence of morbid obesity 3.5% 3.0% 2.5% 2.0% 1.5% 1.0% 0.5% 0.0% 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year of measurement Morbid obesity (BMI 40) has also been rising sharply over this time. These figures may well be an underestimate.
Implications for local areas Example LA population 100,000 250,000 750,000 1,000,000 Numbers of people who are: Overweight 37,000 92,000 275,000 367,000 Obese 26,000 65,000 196,000 261,000 Morbidly obese 3,000 7,000 20,000 27,000 The national figures have huge implications for local areas.
Trend in obesity prevalence for adult males by age group Health Survey for England 1993-2010 Men over 35 years old 40 Obesity prevalence (%) 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 75+ 65-74 55-64 45-54 35-44 25-34 16-24 0 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year of measurement Levels of obesity in men differ by age group, as do the trends we are seeing for each group. Adult obesity: BMI 30kg/m 2
Trend in obesity prevalence for adult females by age group Health Survey for England 1993-2010 40 Women over 35 years old Obesity prevalence (%) 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 75+ 65-74 55-64 45-54 35-44 25-34 16-24 0 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year of measurement This is true for women as well. Adult obesity: BMI 30kg/m 2
Prevalence of obesity among adults by age and sex Health Survey for England 2008-2010 33.1% 34.2% 33.6% 28.5% 30.6% 30.2% 25.0% 25.2% 23.8% 26.3% 16.8% 18.8% 13.9% 8.8% 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+ Obesity rises steadily through to middle age and then stays broadly constant. Adult obesity: BMI 30kg/m 2
Prevalence of obesity among children by school year and sex National Child Measurement Programme 2006/07 2010/11 Year of measurement 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 19.0% 20.0% 20.0% 20.4% 20.6% 15.8% 16.6% 16.5% 17.0% 17.4% 10.7% 10.4% 10.3% 10.5% 10.1% 9.1% 8.8% 8.9% 9.2% 8.8% Reception boys Reception girls Year 6 boys Year 6 girls Obesity rates nearly double over the course of primary school. We are seeing opposing trends, with a slight decrease in Reception Year but increases in Year 6 prevalence. Child obesity: BMI 95 th centile of the UK90 growth reference
Change in the adult BMI distribution HSE 1991-93 to 2007-09 (population weighted) Underweight <18.5kg/m 2 Healthy weight 18.5 to <25kg/m 2 Overweight 25 to <30 kg/m 2 Obese 30 to <40kg/m 2 Morbidly obese 40kg/m 2 1991-93: 0.7% 2007-09: 0.8% 1991-93: 1.3% 2007-09: 1.3% 1991-93: 37.8% 2007-09: 28.0% 1991-93: 47.6% 2007-09: 37.2% 1991-93: 46.7% 2007-09: 44.5% 1991-93: 33.3% 2007-09: 34.7% 1991-93: 14.6% 2007-09: 25.4% 1991-93: 16.4% 2007-09: 23.8% 1991-93: 0.3% 2007-09: 1.4% 1991-93: 1.4% 2007-09: 3.0% 12 18.5 25 30 40 50 BMI (kg/m 2 ) 1991-93 1991-93 2007-09 2007-09 There is a very complicated picture within overall obesity rates, which has changed over time. Broadly speaking, the entire population is getting heavier there is not only an increase in the numbers of obese people. Adults are aged 18+ years
Prevalence of obesity by deprivation decile National Child Measurement Programme 2009/10 23.6% 22.9% 21.7% 20.5% Reception Year 6 18.9% 17.9% 16.6% 15.7% 14.6% 12.6% 12.0% 11.4% 10.7% 9.7% 9.0% 8.3% 7.9% 7.5% 12.6% 6.8% Most deprived Least deprived There is a very strong correlation between obesity rates and level of deprivation amongst children, with prevalence in the most deprived areas around double that of the least deprived areas. Child obesity: BMI 95 th centile of the UK90 growth reference
Adult obesity prevalence by ethnic group Health Survey for England 2004 Male Female 38% 32% 25% 28% 23% 23% 25% 21% 20% 17% 15% 14% 17% Black Caribbean 8% Black 6% 6% African Irish Pakistani Indian Bangladeshi Chinese General population Prevalence of obesity also varies widely between ethnic groups and between sexes within ethnic groups. Adult (aged 16+) obesity: BMI 30kg/m 2
The cost of overweight and obesity to the NHS estimated to be 5.1bn per year Corpus uteri (womb) cancer 1.6% Colon/rectum cancer 1.3% Breast cancer 1.1% Overweight and obesity are responsible for a range of diseases Ischaemic heart disease 15.6% Diabetes mellitus 16.2% Ischaemic stroke 6.5% The total cost to the NHS can be broken down by disease category Osteoarthritis 16.6% Total cost to society estimated at up to 16bn Hypertensive disease 41.2% Percentage of disease attributable to overweight and obesity Diabetes mellitus 79% Hypertensive disease 58% Corpus uteri cancer 49% Ischaemic heart disease 34% Ischaemic stroke 34% Osteoarthritis 21% Colon/ rectum cancer 16% Breast cancer 12% It is difficult to estimate the costs of obesity accurately. We can look at the costs of diseases caused by obesity to estimate that obesity costs the NHS 5.1bn/year. It is more difficult to put a figure on costs to other areas (e.g. local authorities or business) but the total cost to society is estimated at up to 16bn.
Where are we heading? Increasing prevalence with age Rise in morbid obesity Population demographics baby boomers Increasing life expectancy Increasing obesity years Need to consider absolute numbers, not just proportion of population