Preventing obesity
Obesity increases risks for chronic disease, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. The development of obesity early in life increases certain health risks significantly.
The key factors influencing excessive weight gain are over-consumption of energy-dense foods, and insufficient physical activity. Scientific and other evidence shows that energy balance (or imbalance) is determined by a complex multifaceted system of determinants. We live in an ‘obesogenic environment’ in which a combination of economic, social and cultural factors make it difficult for people to maintain a healthy weight.
The prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in the UK in the last 25 years and the rise in obesity is worldwide. In England, nearly a quarter of adults and one in ten children are obese, with a further one in four children overweight. It is predicted that on current trends, some six out of ten Britons could be obese by 2050. This is estimated to represent a seven-fold increase in direct healthcare costs associated with excess weight, with wider costs to society reaching £45.5 billion a year (Foresight Report: Tackling Obesities: Future Choices. 2007).
For more information, access to tools, case studies and resources, please visit our Obesity Learning Centre.
You may also be interested in our modelling projects including the work we did for the Foresight Report in obesity.
