A Big Problem for the U.K.

Hopes for a healthy future are looking dim for our friends across the pond. According to recent data studies by the Health Survey for England, one third of the adult population of the United Kingdom will be obese by the year 2012. Not only do these statistics point to a scary prospect, they also indicate important distinctions between the obesity levels of different occupations and social classes.

One In Three U.K. Adults Will Be Obese By 2012

ScienceDaily (Dec. 12, 2008)
One in three UK adults—or 13 million people—will be obese by 2012, finds research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

And almost half of them will be from low income and disadvantaged communities, widening the health gap between the haves and have-nots even further, say the authors.

The researchers draw their conclusions on an analysis of annual data between 1993 and 2004 from the Health Survey for England.

This samples a nationally representative cross section of households, and includes information on occupation and social class.

The analysis included almost 128,000 adults with valid weight and height measurements, from which a body mass index (BMI) can be calculated. A BMI above 30 denotes obesity.

The authors then calculated the likely prevalence of obesity by 2012, using three different approaches.

These included straightforward year on year increases, and assuming that the trends remain constant; allowing for a speeding up or slowing down in the rate of change; and linear trends for the six most recent years only. More...