People in part of Nottinghamshire are among the most likely in the country to be seriously overweight – with one in three adults classed as obese. Ashfield is the worst-affected area in the county for obesity levels - with 33.2% of people aged 18 and over said to be obese in the year from November 2021, according to new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) figures.
That was the 28th-highest rate of more than 300 areas across England. Mansfield had the next highest obesity rate in Nottinghamshire, at 32.5%, followed by Newark and Sherwood (29.7%) and Nottingham (28.4%).
In Rushcliffe, 18% of adults were estimated to be obese, which was actually down very slightly from 18.5% five years earlier. The obesity levels are based on Sport England's Active Lives survey, which includes body mass index (BMI) data – a measure that uses height and weight to work out if someone’s weight is healthy.
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Bassetlaw saw an incredible reduction in obesity rates - with a 23& decrease in obesity rates.
A healthy BMI is deemed to be between 18.5 and 24.9, while people between 30.0 and 39.9 are classed as obese. Someone between 25.0 and 29.9 is categorised as overweight.
Obesity is linked to lower life expectancy and can increase the risk and severity of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, at least 12 kinds of cancer, liver and respiratory disease, and mental health issues issues. Across England, one in four adults (25.3%) was estimated to be obese in November 2021, up from 24.4% a year earlier and 22.7% in 2016.
Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said the data showed the urgent need for action to stem obesity nationally, and especially to level up obesity rates between the poorest and most affluent parts of the country. He said: “That's a huge ask and, tragically, may never happen.” In 2020, the Government announced plans to tackle obesity, calling it “one of the greatest long-term health challenges this country faces.”
Its pledges included expanding NHS weight management services, improving calorie labelling on foods, ending the promotion of junk foods by restricting buy one get one free (bogof) offers and other deals, and ending pre-watershed (9pm) TV adverts for unhealthy snacks.
But ministers delayed implementing the TV advertising and junk food offer bans earlier this year, citing the “unprecedented global economic situation”.
Data suggests the prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in recent decades. Figures from the 1980 National Heights and Weights Survey suggest 6% of men and 9% of women aged 16 and over were obese at the time.
The latest OHID figures also show people in the most deprived areas of the country were much more likely to be obese (36.8%) than in the least deprived neighbourhoods (19.2%). Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said the data showed the urgent need for action to stem obesity nationally, and especially to level up obesity rates between the poorest and most affluent parts of the country.
Percentage of adults (aged 18+) classified as obese, year to November
Area // Obesity rate '16 (%) // Obesity rate '17 (%) // Obesity rate '18 (%) // Obesity rate '19 (%) // Obesity rate '20 (%) // Obesity rate '21 (%) // Five-year percentage change
Ashfield // 28.2 // 29 // 30.6 // 27.4 // 30.2 // 33.2 // 18%
Mansfield // 28.7 // 31.2 // 28.7 // 24.8 // 30.2 // 32.5 // 13%
Newark and Sherwood // 29 // 25 // 28 // 33.1 // 25.8 // 29.7 // 2%
Nottingham // 24.8 // 24.8 // 25.6 // 25.2 // 27.8 // 28.4 // 15%
Gedling // 21.8 // 24.3 // 24.4 // 24.5 // 24.2 // 25.7 // 18%
Broxtowe // 23.5 // 24.6 // 22.6 // 24 // 24.7 // 25.1 // 7%
Bassetlaw // 30.4 // 30.1 // 25.1 // 33.9 // 31.5 // 23.5 // -23%
Rushcliffe // 18.5 // 24.4 // 16.8 // 17.9 // 17.6 // 18 // -3%
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