REAL COST OF OBESITY SURVEY

Real Cost of Obesity Breakdown

Health

Obesity is responsible for 9,000 premature deaths a year in England. It reduces life expectancy by, on average, 9 years. The Department of Health’s Change4Life campaign also advises that after quitting smoking, keeping a healthy body weight is one of the best ways to reduce your chances of getting cancer. *

The Real Cost of Obesity Survey found that:

• 22% of the obese people questioned suffered from back pain as a result of their weight. ∆

• 15% of the obese people questioned suffered from heart burn or reflex as a result of their weight. ∆

• 11% of the obese people questioned suffered from arthritis as a result of their weight. ∆

• 9% of the obese people questioned suffered from diabetes as a result of their weight. ∆

• Weekly spending on personal food allowance is vastly increased for the obese people questioned –(NB only 30 severely obese respondents questioned).

• According to mysupermarket.co.uk, a family of four’s average weekly food shop is £100 – so at £61.70 a week, the severely obese are eating enough to feed more than two people

Career

With the average Briton working over eight hours a day, your working life and career are central to happiness and well-being. But what if your weight was having a real cost on your working life?

The Real Cost of Obesity report has found that Briton’s obese are suffering in every area – with salaries, promotions and responsibilities and even career choices taking a knock at the hands of a high BMI.

The Real Cost of Obesity Survey found that:

• 46% of obese people in Britain earn less than £20,000, meaning if those surveyed are typical of the wider population, around 3.4 million obese Britons are bringing in an annual income below the national average.*

• One in ten of the obese questioned agreed their career progression had been held back because of their weight. ∆

• The most common salary for the normal, overweight and obese BMI participants is within the £20-£29,999 bracket. ∆

• Of the 40 respondents surveyed that were severely obese BMI the most comment salary bracket was £10-£14,999. ∆

   

Family Life

Playing with your children, relations with your partner or nights out with friends – are all something people take for granted, but obesity can take all those priviliges away. 

The Real Cost of Obesity report found that those living with a BMI over 25 begin to notice an effect on their relationships with those closest to them, but at this stage few recognise it is their weight which is dragging them down.

The Real Cost of Obesity Survey found that:

• Nearly half (45%) admitted their weight prevented them playing with their children and enjoying leisure with their family, with the top five activities ranked as: 

1. Swapping clothes
2. Adventure sports
3. Horse riding
4. Rollercoasters
5. Bike rides

• Those who felt their weight didn’t stop them doing any leisure activities was directly proportionate to BMI – the heavier being the more affected (with only 30 severely obese respondents). ∆

• Almost a quarter (22%) admitted their children or family had hinted at embarrassment or concern about their weight – with men experiencing this more than women. † **

• 37% of the obese people questioned said their weight negatively affected their ability to take part in leisure activites. ∆

• 22% of the obese people questioned said that their weight had had a negative effect on their sex life. ∆

• 11% of the obese people questioned said this had now had a knock on effect on the relationship with their partner. ∆

Society

Obese and overweight people are forecast to cost the nation £50 billion – half the NHS budget for a year – by 2050 if the trend continues unchecked, with diabetes the biggest draw on these figures.*

The NHS spends an estimated £600m a year on treating diabetes – the largest in primary care – and tackling obesity levels in Britain could save an estimate £950 per person each year. **

As well as drug spend, hospital admissions for Britans with problems caused by weight-related diabetes also doubled, from 7,000 in 2003-04 to 14,320 in 2007-08. **

In five years, the total numbers of people admitted to hospital as a direct result of obesity rose by 190 per cent, with 5,056 admissions in 2007-08. **

The Real Cost of Obesity Survey found that:

• 49% of those questioned blamed their poor diet for their size. †

• 63% blamed a lack of exercise. †

• Stress was blamed by 20% of those questioned. †

• 14% blamed their genes and the same percentage said that they were too busy to do anything about their weight. †

• Giving up smoking, large breasts, beer and ‘emptiness’ were also accredited. †

• A separate survey revealed that some overweight people believe their weight has affected their careers:

   

“I think it’s natural that people have less respect for you if you are overweight.” ∆

“Some people look upon overweight people negatively in that they feel they cannot control how they eat, which may reflect in working life.” ∆

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2056 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 5^th-7^th October 2009. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

OnePoll questioned 4000 adults between 19-21 October 2009.  The survey was carried out online and the panel used was aged 16+ and nationally representative.

Key to Symbols

∆You Gov

†One Poll

*Change4Life campaign

** Liberal Democrat figures