Obesity - the NHS feels the strain

The number of patients admitted to hospital for being grossly overweight has soared seven-fold in the last decade as experts warn the obesity epidemic is getting out of control.

No fewer than 5,018 people ended up in hospital in 2007/08 because they were so fat their health was in danger.
Back in 1996/97 - just before Labour took power - only 738 ended up in hospital with a primary diagnosis of obesity. And the figure has risen 30 per cent in the last year alone.

The report from the NHS Information Centre showed that more than twice as many hospitalised obese patients were female than male, and they were most likely to be middle aged.

Experts said the 'horrific' figures showed that all the Government's attempts to diffuse the obesity timebomb were failing - and that the NHS was on course to being made bankrupt by massively increased numbers of people suffering from heart disease, type two diabetes and certain types of cancers.

Soaring numbers are also having stomach-stapling surgery or are being prescribed weight loss drugs.

Last year, 2,724 obese people had bariatric surgery - stomach stapling, gastric bypasses and other treatments to reduce the amount of food a person can consume. This was 40 per cent higher than the year before, when 1,951 had such surgery.

And the number of anti-obesity pills rose 16 per cent to 1.23 million - despite a range of possible side effects including increased blood pressure and severe diarrhoea.

The two drugs most commonly prescribed for weight loss are sibutramine, which suppresses feelings of hunger in the brain; and orlistat, which prevents fat absorption in the bowel.

The report from the NHS Information Centre shows that 24 per cent of adults were classed as obese in 2007, meaning they have a body mass index of more than 30. This is marginally up on the year before.

Men and women were just as likely to be as obese as each other. Among men, the obesity rate has almost doubled since 1993, when 13 per cent were obese. In 1993, 16 per cent of women were obese.

Over the same period, men and women's waist size - considered by some to be a more accurate predictor of health risk - soared. The proportion of adults with a high waist circumference (higher than 37 inches for men and 31.5 inches for women) shot up from 23 to 37 per cent.

The rising tide of obesity means that 34 per cent of men and 39 per cent of women are deemed to be at high risk of heart attack and stroke.

Some 17 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls aged two to 15 were classed as obese, increasing from 11 and 12 per cent in 1995.

The annual cost to the NHS of all this obesity is estimated at £49 million, mainly due to the costs of weight-loss drugs; up from £9.5 million in 1998. The costs of associated problems such as heart problems are estimated at £1.2 billion - double the 1998 figure.

Tim Straughan, chief executive of the NHS Information Centre, said: 'The report highlights the scale of the country's obesity problem and shows increasing NHS treatment using weight-loss surgery and medications.

'Obesity can pose major health risks by potentially increasing the likelihood of such diseases as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, and a range of other, often life-threatening, conditions.'

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said the jump in surgery for obesity was 'horrific'.

'Rather than being a last resort, surgery is becoming the first option,' he said. 'The only way of clearing up this problem is to prevent it happening in the first place and that means the Government has got to start focusing on pre-school children and even pregnancy and breast feeding.'

Ruairi O'Connor, head of policy at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'These figures uncover the growing burden to the NHS caused by soaring obesity rates. Obesity is one of the major risk factors for heart disease - the UK's biggest killer.

'Given our historically low rates of healthy eating and physical activity, the Government, food industry, schools, parents and charities like the BHF must maintain efforts to make healthy choices the easier choice.

'A full Government response is needed if we are to tackle the obesity timebomb. We are calling for a ban on junk food TV advertising prior to 9pm, and consistent junk food marketing regulations across all media.
'We are also calling for a simple, colour-based food labelling system to give "at a glance" information about the products they buy.'

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: 'This is yet more frightening evidence of the dramatic impact of the obesity crisis, both in terms of the impact on individuals and the cost to the NHS.

'Effective action to tackle obesity is long overdue. Handing down diktats from Whitehall has failed. Ministers must give people more power to tackle obesity in their own areas. The NHS ultimately faces bankruptcy if this problem isn't addressed.'

The report also found that just 29 per cent of adults and 21 per cent of children were eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

On the positive side, physical activity has increased since 1997, with 40 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women being active for at least 30 minutes five times a week, compared with 32 per cent and 21 per cent in 1997.

Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said: 'Obesity is the biggest health challenge we face - we are taking tough action and are investing £372 million to address it.

'Whether to prescribe drugs or recommend surgery is rightly a clinical decision. NICE guidance on obesity recommends that drugs and surgery should always be a last resort - a better diet and more exercise should be tried first.'

The Daily Mail 25 Feb. 09

Arrange a call back