Time to turn the obesity epidemic around

UK women topped the latest EU obesity survey, finding nearly a quarter (23.9%) of the female population to be clinically obese.

Well this morning’s papers made for depressing reading. For once the UK is finishing at the top of an international table, but this is one we most definitely do not want to excel in. It has to be said that the figures for UK men were not much better, with 22% being found to have a BMI over 30 (the medical definition of obesity), second only to the Maltese.

Apparently we need to be emulating Romania, who were found to have a much healthier rate of only 8% of women being seriously overweight (although how much of that is to do with social conditions, lack of access or financial ability to overeat etc. is not mentioned in the report).

Even more worrying were the figures for obesity within younger sections of society, with 16.6% of 18-24 year olds being found to be obese (across the sexes) as compared to an EU average of less than 11%.

Hopefully shocking figures like these will act as a wake up call that we are sleep-walking into a health catastrophe. The knock-on effects of obesity in terms of associated physical and mental health problems are terrible. Lets not let this define us as a nation and finally shake off the ‘sick man of Europe’ tag once and for all!