Establishing an Evidence BaseMaking the case for action on obesity

May 2014

Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet

• Annual statistical report presents a range of information on obesity, physical activity and diet, drawn together from a variety of sources, this includes some data from the Health Survey for England 2012 as well as other relevant publications (compendium).

• Includes new analyses of Health and Social Care Information Centre Hospital Episode Statistics and Prescribing data.

• Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet (SOPAD) covers topics on:

– Overweight and obesity prevalence among adults and children

– Physical activity levels among adults and children

– Trends in purchases and consumption of food and drink and energy intake

– Health outcomes of being overweight or obese.

Highlights from Health Survey England 2012

Health Survey for England 2012 - Physical Activity

In Health Survey for England (HSE) 2012

• 67% of men and 55% of women aged 16 and over, met the UK guidelines for aerobic activity.

• In both sexes, the proportion who met the guidelines generally decreased with age.

Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/hse2012

HSE 2012 - Physical Activity

• In addition to aerobic activity, current UK guidelines also recommend that adults aged 19 and over should undertake muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days per week to increase bone strength and muscular fitness.

• 34% of men and 24% of women aged 16 or over met this guideline.

• Overall 49% of men and 56% of women did no muscle-strengthening activity in the last four weeks, with a sharp decline in this type of activity as age increased.

Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/hse2012

HSE 2012 - Physical Activity

• There was a clear association between meeting the guidelines for aerobic activity and body mass index (BMI) category.

• 75% of men who were not overweight or obese, 71% of overweight men and 59% of obese men met the guidelines.

• Correspondingly figures for women were 64%, 58% and 48%.

Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/hse2012

HSE 2012 – Obesity Prevalence

Marked increase in the proportion of adults that were obese between 1993 and 2012 from 13.2% to 24.4% among men and 16.4% to 25.1% among women.

Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/hse2012

HSE 2012 – Obesity

• Half of men who felt that their weight was ‘about right’ were in fact overweight (45%) or obese (5%).

• Women who felt that their weight was ‘about right’ were in fact overweight (22%) or obese (3%).

Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/hse2012

The gap between perception of weight and classification of BMI, tends to be greater for men than for women.

HSE 2012 – Obesity

Between 1993 and 2012

• Proportion of adults with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) decreased from 41% to 32.1% among men and 49.5% to 40.6% among women.

• Proportion of adults with a raised waist circumference increased, from 23% to 39% (from 20% to 34% among men and from 26% to 45% among women).

Sources: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG43 page 4 (Accessed 18/08/2013); http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/hse2012 

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) risk categories

Low High Very high

men - less than 94 cm men - 94cm to 102cm men - more than 102cmwomen - less than 80 cm women - 80cm to 88cm women - more than 88cm

Normal weight

(18.5 to less than 25kg/m2)No increased risk No increased risk Increased risk

Overweight

(25 to less than 30kg/m2)No increased risk Increased risk High risk

Obesity I

(30 to less than 35kg/m2)Increased risk High risk Very high risk

Obesity II

(35 to less than 40kg/m2)Very high risk Very high risk Very high risk

Obesity III

(40kg/m2 or more)Very high risk Very high risk Very high risk

Waist circumference

BMI classification

SOPAD 2014 – Risk Factors

• Obesity increases the risks of developing a number of diseases relative to the non-obese population. For example, it is estimated that an obese woman is almost 13 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than a woman who is not obese.

• The table gives a broad indication of the strength of association between obesity and each of the diseases.

SOPAD 2014 – Hospital Episode Statistics

• In 2012/13 there were 10,957 hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of obesity among people of all ages. 6.6% less admissions than 2011/12 (11,736), although this is almost nine times as high as 2002/03 (1,275).

• Over the period 2002/03 to 2012/13, in almost every year, more than twice as many females were admitted to hospital than males

SOPAD 2014 – Bariatric Surgery

• The term ‘bariatric surgery’ is used to define a group of procedures that can be performed to facilitate weight loss, although these procedures can also be performed for other conditions.

• It includes stomach stapling, gastric bypasses and sleeve gastrectomy, performed on the stomach and / or intestines to limit the amount of food an individual can consume.

• In 2012/13 there were 8,024 recorded inpatient hospital episodes with a primary diagnosis of obesity and a main or secondary procedure of bariatric surgery.

• Females continue to account for the majority of these; in 2012/13 there were 1,944 for males and 6,080 for females.

Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/sopad14 

SOPAD 2014 - Prescribing

• 392,000 drug items were prescribed for treating obesity in 2012 with Orlistat (Xenical) being the only drug prescribed.

• the number of prescription items dispensed for the treatment of obesity per 100,000 of the population in each primary care trust (PCT) is shown, with the lowest number of prescribed items being predominantly in the south.

SOPAD 2014 - Prescribing

• The Net Ingredient Cost (NIC) is the basic cost of a drug, not taking into account discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income.

• The total NIC for drugs for the treatment of obesity decreased from £31.2 million in 2002 to £13.3 million in 2012, peaking at £51.6 million in 2007.

• The NIC per item decreased from £43 in 2002 to £34 in 2012

Source: Prescribing Analyses and Cost (PACT) from the Prescription Pricing Division of the NHS Business Services Authority (PPD of the NHS BSA). Health and Social Care Information Centre, Lifestyles Statistics.

National Child Measurement Programme

• Annual data submission first collected in the 2006/07 school year

• Over 1 million child measurements have been collected annually since 2008/09

• High participation rates – 93% in 2012/13

• Reliable data allowing detailed analysis of prevalence and trends in child overweight and obesity levels

Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/ncmp1213 

National Child Measurement Programme

In Reception the proportion of obese children in 2012/13 was lower than in 2011/12 and also lower than in 2006/07

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/130%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

9%

10%

11%9.9% 9.6% 9.6% 9.8%

9.4% 9.5% 9.3%

Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/ncmp1213 

National Child Measurement Programme

In Year 6 the proportion of obese children in 2012/13 fell, compared to the previous year, for the first time since the NCMP collection began

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/130%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%17.5% 18.3% 18.3% 18.7% 19.0% 19.2% 18.9%

Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/ncmp1213 

National Child Measurement Programme

Proportion of children who were either overweight or obese in Reception and Year 6 in 2012/13

Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/ncmp1213 

Adult Obesity 2009 - 2011

Source: http://www.noo.org.uk/visualisation/adult_obesity  

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