Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet - England, 2015

England

• There was a marked increase in the proportion of adults that were obese from 13.2 per cent in 1993 to 26.0 per cent in 2013 for men, and from 16.4 per cent to 23.8 per cent for women. The proportions that were overweight including obese increased from 57.6 per cent to 67.1 per cent in men and from 48.6 per cent to 57.2 per cent in women.

   

• In reception year (aged 4-5) in 2013-14, the proportion of obese children (9.5 per cent) was higher than in 2012-13 (9.3 per cent) but lower than in 2006-07 (9.9 per cent). In Year 6 (age 10-11) in 2013/14, the proportion of obese children (19.1 per cent) was higher than in 2012-13 (18.9 per cent) and also higher than in 2006-07 (17.5 per cent).

   

• In 2013, fewer men than women consumed the recommended five or more portions of fruit and vegetables on the previous day (25 per cent and 28 per cent respectively). A similar proportion of boys and girls consumed five or more portions per day (16 per cent of boys, 17 per cent of girls).

   

• In 2013-14, there were 9,325 Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) in NHS hospitals with a primary diagnosis of obesity. This is 15 per cent less admissions than in 2012-13 (10,957), although this is over five times as high as ten years ago in 2003/04 (1,711).^a

   

• In 2013-14, there were 6,384 recorded Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs) with a primary diagnosis of obesity and a main or secondary procedure of bariatric surgery. This is 20 per cent less episodes than in 2012/13 (8,024). Females continue to account for the majority of these; there were 4,823 such recorded FCEs for females and 1,560 for males. This is a similar ratio to 2012-13 (6,080 for females and 1,944 for males) and 2003-04 (378 for females and 96 for males).^a

   

• In 2013-14, there were 3,391 recorded FCEs with a primary diagnosis of obesity and a main or secondary procedure of bariatric surgery in the 45-64 age group. This accounts for 53 per cent of all bariatric surgery procedures.^a

   

• Drug items dispensed for treating obesity in 2013 (563,000) rose by 44 per cent from 2012 (392,000) but this may be due to a stock shortage of Orlistat in 2012. The figure for 2013 is a decrease of 61 per cent on 2009 (1,450,000) when the number of drug items dispensed for treating obesity reached a peak.
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  Footnotes
  ^a The data on hospital activity presented in this report are for inpatients only and therefore does not reflect all hospital activity. Outpatient procedures are not included in these figures due to the primary diagnosis code being poorly populated, and there being no certainty that procedures are for obesity diagnoses. This should be considered when interpreting changes over time as recording and clinical practice may change and in particular, practices vary between hospitals as to whether some episodes are carried out or recorded in outpatient or inpatient settings. One provider in particular, Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recorded 183 inpatient admissions in 2013/14 with a primary diagnosis of obesity compared to 920 inpatient admissions in 2012-13 which is a large part of the decrease seen on the national figures (down 1,632 or 15 per cent). They have also recorded a decrease of 739 inpatient bariatric surgical procedures this year mainly due to gastric band maintenance procedures which is a large part of the decrease seen on the national figures (down 1,640 - 20 per cent). This Trust has also recorded 594 procedures in outpatient settings in 2013/14 with a primary procedure code of gastric band maintenance compared to none in 2012/13. These procedures are not included in this report as they were performed in an outpatient setting.