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Obesity is associated with many illnesses and is directly related to increased mortality and lower life expectancy. Tackling obesity is a government wide priority.
The Body Mass index (BMI) is the common method of evaluating individual people to see if they are under or overweight. It involves comparing their weight to their height by dividing the weight measurement (expressed in kilograms) by the square of the height (expressed in metres).
Obesity is responsible for more than 9,000 premature deaths per year in England. Obesity is an important risk factor for a number of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and type 2 diabetes.
The prevalence of obesity in children aged under 11 increased from 9.9 percent in 1995 to 13.7 percent in 2003 (Health Survey for England, 1995-2003). Prevalence has trebled since the 1980s, and well over half of all adults are either overweight or obese - almost 24 million adults. Obesity in both adults and children is more common among lower social groups.
In July 2004 a PSA target specifically on obesity was set for the first time - 'halting the year-on-year rise in obesity among children aged under 11 by 2010 in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole'.
Reducing obesity is a key priority for the Government and a comprehensive programme to tackle obesity in the population is currently underway.