Is it really true that obesity rates in England have stabilised or fallen, as has been reported today – and that, according to the Obesity Health Alliance, this may be down to things like junk food being removed from supermarket checkouts and calories being provided on menus?
While obesity rates have ballooned, smoking rates have collapsed
On the face of it there is one remarkable statistic in the latest figures provided by NHS England for 2022: 13 per cent of 2-15 year old boys were recorded as obese, down from a fifth in 2019 and the lowest figure since 1998. There were no figures produced for 2020 and 2021 owing to the pandemic.
Obesity among girls, however, is up from 13 per cent to 17 per cent, with overall figures for 2–15 year olds down from 16 per cent to 15 per cent. There has been no such fall among adults. In 2022, 28 per cent of men were obese, up from 27 per cent in 2019 and 24 per cent in 2012.
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