England facing obesity crisis

While many eyes are fixed on the 2012 Olympics and the associated drive for sporting excellence the Department of Health is looking at a more fundamental concern that could strike two years earlier.

The Health Survey for England is warning that obesity figures will hit a staggering 13 million unless action is taken.

Children could be particularly badly hit and the parental influence is seen as being significant. A child with parents who are both obese has a one-in-four probability of being obese. This compares to just one-in-20 for children who have both parents at a healthy weight. If one parent is obese the rate is also higher – one-in-eight.

Forecasts for 2010 include:

12 million obese adults
one million obese children
22% of boys ages two to 15 will be obese
19% of girls aged two to 15 will be obese
33% of men will be obese
28% of women will be obese

The news comes soon after the appointment of Caroline Flint who will have the job of drawing up a new fitness strategy for England working with a variety of Government departments.

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt told the BBC: "With children heading back to school in September, these statistics should give parents food for thought on how to make their kids' lifestyles healthier.

"We are intervening and helping to make a difference, but we want today's figures to act as a stark reminder of the problem we and our children will face if we don't act now and start making healthier lifestyle choices.

"The government's got a responsibility to make it easier for people to make healthy choices for themselves.

"But at the end of the day, it's up to each of us to decide what we eat, what we drink, how much exercise we take and how we bring our children up."

Many groups have said they are very concerned but not surprised by the news. Maura Gillespie of the British Heart Foundation joined the calls for junk food advertising to be banned before 9pm.

Douglas Smallwood of Diabetes UK, said that many people with diabetes are not overweight. But many obese people do suffer Type 2 diabetes. At diagnosis 80% of those diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes were overweight.

The definition of obesity.
Being obese is not the same as being over weight.

You have to be well above your recommended weight to be considered obese – normally 20% more that your ideal weight given your height, age, sex, and build.

You can use our BMI calculator (Body Mass Index) to get an indication of whether you are an appropriate weight.
Obesity usually depends on a variety of factors including diet and exercise but also other behavioural and genetic factors.

Being overweight can contribute to health problems. It increases the risk of developing a number of diseases including:

Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes
Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
Heart failure (congestive heart failure)
Stroke
Cancer (certain forms such as cancer of the prostate and cancer of the colon and rectum)
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Gallstones and gall bladder disease (cholecystitis)
Gout and gouty arthritis
Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis)
Sleep apnea (failure to breath normally during sleep)
Pickwickian syndrome (obesity, red face, underventilation, and drowsiness)

For more information on maintaining a healthy weight see our diet, weight loss, nutrition and hydration articles.

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