2. Obesity rates in Britain are soaring with nearly a quarter of adults now classed as clinically obese. Despite Government warnings that we are turning into a nation of couch potatoes and risking obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, our waistlines keep growing.
3. A person is classed as obese when their weight has increased to a point where it seriously endangers their health. Obesity is diagnosed when a person's Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeds 30. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilogrammes by height in metres squared. http://www.bmi-calculator.net /
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9. NOO has produced a dynamic map showing the change in prevalence of adult obesity in English regions from 1993-2007. The data are from the Health Survey for England (HSE). http://www.noo.org.uk/maps/adult_obesity93_07
10. http:// www.sepho.nhs.uk/noo/atlas.html Use this online GIS to map obesity and compare to other statistics such as Deprivation. You can even correlate the data using statistical methods (if that is your thing!!)
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12. Foresight: Tackling Obesities: Future Choices project, www.foresight.gov.uk published in October 2007, predict that if no action is taken, by 2050, 60% of men and 50% of women and 25% of children will be obese. Being obese or overweight increases the risk of a range of diseases that can have a significant health impact on individuals. Around 58% of type-2 diabetes, 21% of heart disease and between 8% and 42% of certain cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon) are attributable to excess body fat. Obesity is responsible for 9,000 premature deaths each year in England, and reduces life expectancy by, on average, 9 years. Obese people can experience stigmatization and bullying, which can lead to depression and low self-esteem. Obesity also has serious economic costs. It has been estimated that the cost of obesity to the NHS is approximately £4.2 billion and Foresight forecast this will more than double by 2050. However, there are also costs to society and the economy more broadly – for example, sickness absence reduces productivity. Foresight estimate that weight problems already cost the wider economy in the region of £16 billion, and that this will rise to £50 billion per year by 2050 if left unchecked.
