NHD CPD eArticle NETWORK HEALTH DIGEST
Volume 8.05 - 29th March 2018
OBESITY UPDATE: WHERE ARE WE NOW? Emma Berry Associate Nutritionist, Freelance Emma is working in NHS Research and Development and is a freelance nutrition writer.
The obesity epidemic has been well documented for many years. The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) report documenting the substantial rise in obesity and setting in place a strategy for prevention, was published almost two decades ago.1 This article looks to review the differences in the levels of obesity found within the UK since the report and discusses the most recent policies in place to tackle obesity. The WHO report1 outlined that the level of obesity was rising at a staggering rate. This rise in level of overweight and obese individuals has also seen an increase in related health issues, such as cardiovascular diseases and various forms of cancer. The WHO report put forward a strategy for preventing a further rise in obesity levels and managing the current high levels found globally. Obesity has been defined as a high level of adipose tissue which has a negative impact on an individual’s health. There are many ways to determine obesity of an individual or population, these include body mass index (BMI kg/m2), skinfold measurements, waist circumference and waist:hip ratio, many of which are further broken down into various obesity classifications.1 Whilst the definition of obesity has not changed drastically over time, the ways in which adipose tissue can be measured have become more advanced. Determining body composition is now possible through the use of
methods such as Air-DisplacementPlethysmography, Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, Bioelectrical impedance analysis and more.2,3 Whilst these methods are not used for population measures of obesity but are generally used for academic studies, it is important to note how advanced technology has become and how these can increase the precision of body composition measures. The most common way of determining obesity at a population level, is through using BMI (kg/m2). Being defined as clinically obese is when an adult individual’s BMI is over 30kg/m2.4 When the WHO report was released in 2000, 21.5% of adult men and 21.8% of adult women were classified as obese in England.5 In Scotland, 22% of adult men and 26% of adult women were found to be obese in 2003.6 The most recent figures have demonstrated that obesity rates have increased, with 27% of men and women now classified as obese.4 In Scotland, obesity is also rising steadily
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