NHS reports over 3,000 daily admissions linked to obesity
NHS figures have alarmingly revealed that hospital admissions related to obesity in the UK have doubled in the past six years, now exceeding 3,000 cases daily. This alarming statistic underscores the growing weight problem in the UK, with obesity increasingly exacerbating illnesses and complicating treatments for a diverse group of patients, including expectant mothers, arthritis sufferers, and cancer patients. Notably, hospital admissions due to obesity now outnumber those linked to smoking by threefold. Furthermore, over 20 children are admitted each day due to obesity-related issues, a figure that has also seen a significant rise in recent years.
Government ministers are facing criticism for their perceived inaction on a problem that is not only detrimentally impacting public health but also stunting economic progress. This is after the government decided to postpone stringent anti-obesity measures. The impact of obesity is disproportionately felt in poorer areas, where hospital admissions are twice as likely compared to the wealthiest regions, thus impeding efforts to rejuvenate the labour market.
Luton, in particular, has emerged as the area in England most affected by health issues related to obesity, with one in every 20 residents admitted to hospital due to weight-related problems last year. This rate is more than tenfold higher than that in Bracknell Forest, which recorded the lowest rate.
Recent data estimates the annual cost of obesity to the UK economy at a staggering £98 billion, encompassing both NHS treatment costs of £19 billion and economic productivity losses amounting to £15 billion. NHS Digital’s latest figures for England reveal a record 1.2 million admissions where obesity was a factor in 2022-23, a significant increase from 617,000 in 2016-17. These admissions include cases where obesity was the primary reason for hospitalisation, often for bariatric surgery, as well as numerous instances where obesity was a secondary diagnosis, either contributing to hospital stays or complicating treatments.
Among those most affected are pregnant women, with 147,143 maternity admissions where obesity was a complicating factor for either the mother or child. Other conditions such as arthritis, gallstones, breast cancer, heart disease, and general pain also contributed to more than 10,000 admissions annually.
Daisy Cooper, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, criticised the government for missing multiple opportunities to foster a healthier living environment in the UK. She stressed that investing in public health would alleviate the burden on the NHS and bolster the economy by enabling more people to work.
The figures reveal a concerning trend among the younger population, with 8,261 admissions among under-16s, a significant increase from 4,062 in 2016-17. In the ten most deprived areas, there were 3,393 admissions per 100,000 people for obesity, more than double the rate in the wealthiest tenth.
Areas such as Gloucestershire, Southampton, Salford, Rotherham, Bradford, and much of east London have recorded rates above 4,000 per 100,000 people. In contrast, Bracknell Forest reported a rate of 420 per 100,000, with Windsor, Wokingham, Slough, Oxfordshire, Reading, and Brighton all reporting rates below 1,000.
In response to its high obesity rate, Luton has recently implemented a ban on advertising unhealthy food on council-owned properties. The rise in obesity-related admissions is partly attributed to increased medical awareness of the conditions excess weight can cause. However, local differences in how obesity is recorded also influence these statistics.
Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, has expressed a preference for focusing on healthy-living advice over measures she has termed “nanny-statish”, a stance that has disappointed health campaigners. Cooper has called for the revival of delayed plans for a 9pm watershed on junk food advertising and a ban on buy-one-get-one-free deals on unhealthy food. She also advocated for increased funding for public health initiatives at the council level.
Admissions for weight-loss surgery have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 5,099 admissions last year compared to over 6,000 five years ago. This decline in admissions where obesity is the primary reason is attributed to pressures on the NHS.
Despite this, 638 children under 16 were admitted primarily for obesity, nearly matching pre-pandemic figures. In response to these concerning trends, a government spokesman highlighted measures like compulsory calorie labelling and healthy food vouchers for low-income households. The spokesman emphasised the government’s commitment to tackling obesity across all socio-economic groups and in deprived areas, recognising it as a major cause of cancer.