Obesity occurs when there is excessive fat in the body which is caused when a person consumes more energy than they expend. Being obese is harmful to health and has an adverse effect on life expectancy. Obesity and being overweight is usually measured by the Body Mass Index (BMI) which takes into account a person's height, weight and gender.
Obesity tends to be more common amongst groups with a lower socioeconomic status who tend to eat more meat, fat and sugar and take less exercise than those of higher status.
Childhood obesity tends to be a predictor of weight and consequential health problems in later life. Europe is currently facing the prospect of an obesity epidemic with the UK second only to the US in terms of prevalence. The World Health Organisation calls obesity one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. WHO points out that being "overweight is responsible for a large proportion of the total burden of disease in the WHO European Region: more than 1 million deaths and 12 million life-years of ill health every year". In England 9000 deaths per year are caused by obesity alone. In the UK 22% of men and 23% of women are obese. The National Audit Office estimates that being obese can reduce lifespan by up to 9 years.
A 1998 review showed that childhood obesity is strongly associated with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, orthopaedic problems and mental disorders. The review also showed links between obesity and underachievement in school and lower self-esteem.
Given that the reasons for this increase in obesity are complex, the proposed solutions span a range of different interventions.
