By North East Lincolnshire fourth most obese area in England
Reports have suggested people living in North East Lincolnshire are among some of the most likely in the country to be seriously overweight. The figures state more than one in three adults are classed as obese.
The figures state an estimated 36.1% of people aged 18 and over were obese in the year to November 2021, according to the new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). It was identified as the fourth-highest rate in more than 300 areas across England.
The obesity levels are based on Sport England’s Active Lives survey, which includes body mass index (BMI) data.
A healthy BMI is somewhere 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 also mental health 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.
The data has suggested the presence of obesity has increased dramatically in recent decades, as figures from the 1980 National Heights and Weights Survey suggest that 6% of men and 9% of women aged 16 and over were obese at the time.
The latest OHID figures also say people in the most deprived areas of the country were much more likely to be obese (36.8%) than in the least deprived neighborhoods (19.2%).
Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said the data showed the urgent need for action to stem obesity nationally.
He added: “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.”
