Men's Health Facts

Obesity

The prevalence of obesity in Scotland has increased over the past two decades, reaching 22% in men and 24% in women in 2003 with marked increases in men aged 35-64 years and in women aged 35-44 years.

Obesity in children is now common.  In Scotland, nearly, one in five (18%) boys and over one in ten (14%) girls aged 2-15 years are obese.

It is estimated that obesity in Scotland is linked to nearly 500,000 cases of high blood pressure, 30,000 cases of type 2 diabetes, and similar numbers of cases of osteoarthritis and gout.

It is estimated that obese people in Scotland are 18% more likely to be hospitalized than those of normal weight.

Existing international evidence in relation to mortality associated with obesity suggests that the risk of death among obese people is two to three times higher than people of normal weight.

International comparisons show that Scotland has very high levels of obesity compared with other European countries.

NHS Information Services Scotland