A quarter (26%) of adults in England were obese in 2021, with rates higher among men, older people, and those in more deprived areas, a report from the Health Survey for England has shown.
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The Health Survey for England report, published today by NHS Digital, showed that obesity rates increased with age, with just 8% of adults aged 16-24 being classed as obese, compared to 32% of those aged 65-74.
The prevalence of obesity was highest among adults living in the most deprived areas, at 34%, compared to 20% in the least deprived areas, and a higher proportion of men were either overweight or obese (69%) compared to 59% of women.
The Health Survey for England report also found that 12% of adults in England smoked, with more men (13%) than women (10%) reporting that they currently smoked.
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Of these current smokers, 16% also currently used e-cigarettes as did 13% of ex-regular smokers.
Two-thirds of adults (66%) had never regularly smoked, and only 1% of those who had never smoked cigarettes currently used e-cigarettes.
The survey also asked participants about their alcohol consumption – 79% of participants reported that they had drunk alcohol in the last 12 months, while 49% reported that they drank alcohol at least once a week.
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The report also found that men were more likely than women to drink at increasing or higher risk levels, with 28% of men compared to 15% of women saying that they usually drank more than 14 units of alcohol a week.
A version of this story first appeared in The Pharmacist
