Health Survey for England, 2021 part 1

This report examines the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults in 2021. The estimates were produced using prediction equations that adjusted self-reported values of height and weight in order to predict measured values of height and weight. 

Detailed tables accompanying this report can be accessed here.
 

• In 2021, 26% of adults in England were obese. 
• A higher proportion of men than women were either overweight or obese (69% compared with 59%). 
• Obesity prevalence was lowest among adults living in the least deprived areas (20%) and highest in the most deprived areas (34%).
• 11% of obese adults reported that they had had a diagnosis of diabetes from a doctor, compared with 5% of overweight adults and 3% of those who were neither overweight nor obese.  

Obesity is a major public health problem in England and globally (Source: World Health Organization). In adults, overweight and obesity are associated with life-limiting conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. 

The burden on the National Health Service (NHS) due to obesity and related illnesses is well recognised. The monetary cost each year, uplifted for inflation, was estimated at £6.1 billion in 2019 (Source: Department of Health and Social Care). 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on people with obesity, who are at increased risk of being hospitalised, admitted to intensive care, and of dying from COVID-19 (Public Health England, 2020; Saul, Gursul and Piernas, 2022). 

The Health Survey for England (HSE) is the main data source for monitoring overweight and obesity in the general population in England. Between 1993 and 2019, height and weight were directly measured during the interviewer visit in each year of the HSE series, and these values were used to calculate body mass index (BMI). 

For most of 2021 it was not possible to directly measure participants’ height and weight because of COVID-19 pandemic precautions. Instead, participants were asked about their height and weight during the telephone interview. This report presents findings on the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) and obesity for adults after applying adjustments to these self-reported heights and weights.