Diet and obesity
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) identifies key issues affecting the health and wellbeing of our residents, both now and in the future.
In Rochdale borough, 67.5 per cent of adults are classified as having excess weight. This is above the England rate of 63.8 per cent (Office for Health Improvement & Disparities - based on the Active Lives Adult Survey, Sport England 2021/22).
The importance of diet
Eating well and having a healthy lifestyle can help us feel our best and make a big difference to our long-term health. This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions and consuming the right amount of food and drink to achieve and maintain healthy body weight.
Most people in the UK eat and drink too many calories, too much fat, sugar and salt and not enough fruit, vegetables, oily fish or fibre. This picture is also seen here in Rochdale. This section looks at the prevalence of obesity and excess body weight as well as their links to diet.
The impact of being overweight
Obesity is preventable for most people and the recent sharp rise in it is largely explained by changes in society and lifestyles. Maintaining a healthy weight is important for overall health and can help prevent and control many diseases and conditions.
People who are overweight or obese are at a higher risk of developing serious health problems including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems and certain cancers.
Maintaining a healthy weight diminishes the risk of developing these conditions, helps you feel good about yourself and gives you more energy to enjoy life (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 2015).
Statistics on diet and obesity
- Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) - Public Health Outcomes Framework - the Public Health Outcomes Framework includes a few indicators that look at diet and obesity including the number of people eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, excess weight in adults and diabetes prevalence.
- Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) - Diabetes profile - the NCVIN diabetes profile provides information on the distribution and determinants of diabetes, patient treatment and care, and diabetes-related complications.
Guidance and information on diet and obesity
- Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) – Adult Obesity: Applying all our health - this resource offers guidance to health professionals to help prevent ill health relating to being overweight and to promote health and wellbeing as part of everyday practice.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance - Diet, nutrition and obesity - NICE has produced a number of documents on diet and obesity including guidance on obesity and weight gain prevention, lifestyle services and nutrition support for adults