Massive rise in hospital admissions due to obesity

Mark Gould

Hospital admissions where the primary diagnosis was obesity rose eleven fold over the last ten years according to official figures.

Some 11,736 obese patients were admitted in 2011/12, eleven times more than in 2001/02 when there were 1,019 such admissions.

Twice as many females than males were admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of obesity with the North East Strategic Health Authority recording the highest rate of admissions with a primary diagnosis of obesity (56 admissions per 100,000 population). East of England SHA had the lowest rate (12 admissions per 100,000 population).

In 2011, there were 0.9 million prescription items dispensed for the treatment of obesity, a 19% decrease on the previous year.

Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet: England, 2013 published by the NHS Information Centre also show the proportion of adults with a normal BMI decreased between 1993 and 2011 from 41 per cent to 34 per cent among men and from 50 per cent to 39 per cent among women.

The proportion that were overweight including obese increased from 58 per cent to 65 per cent in men and from 49 per cent to 58 per cent in women between 1993 and 2011. The report also says there was a marked increase in the proportion of adults that were obese, rising from 13 per cent in 1993 to 24 per cent in 2011 for men and from 16 per cent to 26 per cent for women.

In 2011/12 just 36 per cent of adults (41 per cent of men and 31 per cent of women), some 15.5 million people, participated in sport at least once a week for 30 minutes at moderate intensity. 

Household purchases of fresh and processed fruit are on a downward trend since 2008 and are 4.1 per cent lower despite a rise in 2011. Just 24% of men and 29% of women consumed the recommended five or more portions of fruit and vegetables daily in 2011 (27% of adults aged 16 and over). Of 5-15 year old boys, 16% consumed 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables daily in 2011. For girls aged 5-15 the figure was 20%.

The proportion of adults with a raised waist circumference increased from 20% to 34% among men and from 26% to 47% among women between 1993 and 2011. 

In 2011, around three in ten boys and girls (aged 2 to 15) were classed as either overweight or obese (31% and 28% respectively), which is very similar to the 2010 findings (31% for boys and 29% for girls).