Adult Obesity

The following chart uses Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data. Data from the Health Survey for England, Welsh Health Survey, and Scottish Health Survey for 2008; Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition, Republic of Ireland for 2007 and Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey for 2005/06 are included.

What are the issues around comparing obesity prevalence internationally?

It is likely that obesity prevalence estimates based on self-reported measures are lower than those based on actual measurements. This difference limits comparison between studies. Obesity prevalence data from only ten of the 33 countries presented in the chart are based on measured weight and height. For this reason it is likely that self-reported data will underestimate the prevalence of obesity. The data here show that countries with measured height and weight data have a high prevalence of obesity, (with the exception of Japan which has a low prevalence). Most of the data here are obtained from national health surveys which are likely to be representative of general population. Only single year estimates for each country are presented. These data are not age or sex standardised so differences in the age and sex structure of the populations have not been accounted for. Trend data would be useful for providing a clearer picture of obesity prevalence for comparison and trend analysis is planned to be a future development.

How does the prevalence of obesity in England compare with other countries and in particular within Britain and Ireland?

The prevalence of obesity in England is estimated using measured weight and height. The 2008 estimate is 24.5% and is high compared to most other countries, with Japan and Korea having the lowest estimates of obesity prevalence. Estimates for Scotland and Ireland are based on measured weight and height. The estimate for Wales is based on self reported height and weight and is likely to be an underestimate. Scotland and Ireland appear to have higher obesity prevalence compared to England but note that no measures of uncertainty for any estimates are presented. No recent data on Northern Ireland were available. Trend data provide a more useful picture for comparison than single year estimates.

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