Obesity Facts

Obesity accounted for 18 million days of sickness and 30,000 premature deaths in 1998 Treating obesity costs the NHS at least £0.5 billion a year. Nearly two thirds of men and over half of women in England are now overweight or obese More than one in four adults could be obese by 2010 The cost to the economy could be as high as £3.5 billion a year by 2010 The wider costs of lower productivity could be a further £2 billion each year

"It's not too strong to say that obesity is an epidemic," Dr Campbell told us. "It's absolutely out of control."

"The government already picks up the tab through the cost of diseases and the impact on the welfare system.

"We need to shift the emphasis from dealing with the results to helping the patients deal with the problem themselves."

People should be encouraged to tackle weight problems as soon as they occur, believes Dymphna. And education on diet and exercise should start as young as possible

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