New report shows scale of England’s obesity problems

Public Health England has published new data that sheds light on the scale of the obesity problems affecting the country.

The figures revealed that 64 percent of the nation's adults are overweight or obese, confirming the estimated percentage that has been circulated for some years. The report also revealed considerable variations in the numbers of obese people in different parts of England.

On the positive side, the data demonstrates that the rate of increase in overweight and obese adults has slowed in recent years, and that levels in children are stabilising.

Responding to the findings, Public Health England is calling on local authorities to develop coordinated action across their departments, services and partner organisations to the obesity problem on a regional basis.

Professor Kevin Fenton, director of health and wellbeing at Public Health England, said: "There is no silver bullet to reducing obesity; it is a complex issue that requires action at individual, family, local and national levels."

This follows a similar call from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence earlier this week after a report from ukactive found that in some areas, up to 40 per cent of the adult population can be classed as inactive.