Figures show two-thirds of adults in Luton were overweight last year
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Two-thirds of adults in Luton were estimated to be overweight or obese last year, new figures show.
Figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show an estimated 66.2 per cent of over those over 18 in Luton were overweight or living with obesity in the year to November 2022. It is up from 65 per cent in 2015-16 when the Sport England Active Lives survey began, which the data is based on. An estimated 27.3 per cent adults were obese – a slight increase from 27% seven years prior.
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Hide AdObesity Health Alliance said the government must make it easier and cheaper to buy healthier food and drinks to bring the rate of obesity down. Katharine Jenner, Obesity Health Alliance director, said: "These new figures cover a period during which the Government had a ‘oven ready’ obesity strategy that could have helped prevent the continued rise in obesity rates, yet failed to enact it, and now we are reaping the consequences.
"Our country is flooded with cheap, unhealthy, heavily processed food and billions is spent on marketing," she added.
The British Obesity Society said there are "huge concerns" with the growing proportion of overweight adults in the country, but added it is not surprising. They added the increasing cost of living has also increased consumption of processed foods as they are "quick, cheap and convenient".
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said obesity costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year and is the second biggest cause of cancer. They added the government is introducing restrictions on where less healthy food is placed in supermarkets, calorie labelling on menus, alongside working to make it easier for people to make healthy food choices.
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Hide AdThey said: "Trials of new obesity treatments and technologies are being backed by £20 million of government funding, and we will introduce restrictions banning adverts on TV for less healthy foods before 9pm, as well as paid-for adverts of these products online.”
The figures also show that there a higher proportion of men were overweight or living with obesity (69.1%) than women (58.4%).