Adult’s obesity and BMI
This chapter reports on measurements related to obesity as well as self-reported height and weight, perceptions of weight, and the relationships between obesity and other health measures.
Highlights
Men and women
- Around a quarter of adults, 24% of men and 25% of women, were obese, including morbidly obese.
- Despite 67% of men being overweight or obese, around half, 52%, felt that they were about the right weight.
- While fewer women than men were overweight or obese, they were more likely than men to say that they were too heavy and that they were trying to lose weight .
Age
- Obesity was strongly related to age, rising from 12% of men and 14% of women aged 16-24, to 33% of men and women aged 65-74, before falling again to 19% of men and 18% of women aged 85 and over.
Impact on health
- As a result of their BMI and waist circumference, 22% of men and 24% of women had a very high health risk.
- The prevalence of hypertension doubled from 21% of men and 18% of women of normal weight to 43% of obese men and 38% of obese women.
- Self-reported bad or very bad health was higher among obese people, 7% of men and 11% of women, than those of a normal weight, 4% of men and women.
- Psychological disturbance or mental ill health was more common in obese men, 13%, and obese women, 21%, than those who were of normal weight.
Regional difference
- Prevalence of overweight including obesity varied between regions, and was notably lower in London than other regions of the country.