Publication, Part of Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet

Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet - England, 2012

Official statistics, National statistics

Page contents

This statistical report presents a range of information on obesity, physical activity and diet, drawn together from a variety of sources.

The topics covered include:

This report contains seven chapters which consist of the following:

Chapter 1: Introduction; this summarises government policies, targets and outcome indicators in this area, as well as providing sources of further information and links to relevant documents.
Chapters 2 to 6 cover obesity, physical activity and diet and provides an overview of the key findings from these sources, whilst maintaining useful links to each section of these reports.
Chapter 7: Health Outcomes; presents a range of information about the health outcomes of being obese or overweight which includes information on health risks, hospital admissions and prescription drugs used for treatment of obesity.
Figures presented in Chapter 7 have been obtained from a number of sources and presented in a user-friendly format. Some of the data contained in the chapter have been published previously by the NHS Information Centre (NHS IC) or the National Audit Office. Previously unpublished figures on obesity-related Finished Hospital Episodes and Finished Consultant Episodes for 2010/11 are presented using data from the NHS IC's Hospital Episode Statistics as well as data from the Prescribing Unit at the NHS IC on prescription items dispensed for treatment of obesity.

In 2010, just over a quarter of adults (26 per cent of both men and women aged 16 or over) in England were classified as obese (BMI 30kg/m2 or over). For the same period, around three in ten boys and girls (aged 2 to 15) were classed as either overweight or obese (31 per cent and 29 per cent respectively).
In 2010, 41 per cent of respondents (aged 2+) said they made walks of 20 minutes or more at least 3 times a week and an additional 23 per cent said they did so at least once or twice a week in Great Britain (GB). However, 20 per cent of respondents reported that they took walks of at least 20 minutes "less than once a year or never" in GB.
In 2010, 25 per cent of men and 27 per cent of women consumed the recommended five or more portions of fruit and vegetables daily.
The number of Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) in NHS hospitals with a primary diagnosis of obesity among people of all ages was 11,574 in 2010/11. This is over ten times as high as the number in 2000/01 (1,054).
In 2010, there were 1.1 million prescription items for the treatment of obesity, a 24 per cent decrease on the previous year when 1.4 million items were dispensed. This is the first recorded decrease in seven years.

Last edited: 11 April 2018 5:23 pm