8 in 10 Middle-Aged Britons are Overweight
Public Health England (PHE) have launched a campaign aimed at 40-60 year olds who they are concerned weigh too much, drink too much and do not exercise enough. They have launched a campaign called One You to encourage this age group to change its habits. The hope is that as people look at New Year resolutions at this time of year, they may start to consider lifestyle changes.
Obesity is of major concern to PHE as they highlight that 77% of men and 63% of women in this age group are overweight. But what worried them more was that research identified that many did not see themselves or others as overweight, inferring that being overweight was the new ‘normal’.
Why is Obesity So Worrying?
The effects of being overweight are there to see. One of the biggest health concerns is diabetes with the rate among 40-60 year olds doubling in the past 20 years. It is estimated that 11.9 million people are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the UK due to being overweight compared with those with a healthy weight- defined as a body mass index between 18.5 and 25. And the effects of diabetes can be severe with health issues like amputations, blindness, heart problems, strokes and kidney disease being associated with the condition.
Modern living is cited as being one of the causes of weight issues, with more people doing desk jobs and shunning exercise due to their busy lives. The campaign suggests that making minor changes ie taking small exercise, reducing the amount of alcohol consumed and eating healthily will make a big impact.
One Way to Get to the Truth
One of the things that PHE have launched is an online quiz called ‘how are you’? The quiz asks questions about your lifestyle and health and then suggests ways in which you can change. To date more than 1.1 million people have taken the quiz and been redirected to download apps from Couch to 5k, alcohol checker and Easy Meals. Interestingly from this nearly a quarter of a million people have downloaded Couch to 5k.
Prof Kevin Fenton, the director of health and wellbeing at PHE, said: “People are busy with work, with families and with the daily grind, and sometimes their own health is the least of their priorities.
“The how are you quiz will help anyone who wants to take a few minutes to take stock and find out quickly where they can take a little action to make a big difference to their health.”
The message is clear. People need to eat better, be more active, stop smoking and look at their drinking. If not the health implications are serious and long lasting. But the good news is that it’s never too late to start making changes, in fact small changes can have a huge impact on your health.
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