Healthy weight and healthy eating
Obesity and excess weight
Obesity is a leading cause of ill health; an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, as well as increasing the likelihood of developing other risk factors such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and type II diabetes.
Obesity is commonly measured using weight and height to give a Body Mass Index (BMI) metric. Poor diet (containing a high proportion of foods high in fat, sugars and salt) and lack of exercise can lead to obesity, which in turn is a risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer.
Excess weight in children
In England, child BMI is measured at Reception Year (age 4 to 5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10 to 11 years) through the mandatory National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP).
In 2023-24, 22% of Reception children were overweight (including obese), rising to 35% of Year 6. There were signs of improvement for the youngest age group, with fewer children overweight when starting school in the last two years than previously: in the three years 2019 to 2021 the rate was 26%, which was significantly higher than England overall.
Considering obesity specifically, there has been a long-standing pattern of rates doubling during primary school. In 2023-24, 10% of Reception and 21% of Year 6 were classified as obese.
Reflecting the national pattern, children living in more deprived areas have had consistently higher rates of obesity, with a significant difference locally between the two most deprived quintiles and the two least deprived (see chart). For example, 29% of Year 6 children in the most deprived quintile (IMD 1) compared to 15% in the least deprived quintile (IMD 5). The difference in obesity rates between Reception and Year 6 has been widest in the most deprived areas: a difference of 16 percentage points in IMD 1 compared to 7 in IMD 5.
For more information on NCMP visit NHS Digital webpage
Excess weight in adults
In 2022/23, 67% of adults in Herefordshire were estimated to be overweight or obese, similar to the national figure of 64% and the West Midlands (67%).
In the same period, 26% of adults in Herefordshire were estimated to be obese, similar to England (26%) and West Midlands (28%).
Consumption of recommended five or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day
In 2022/23, 40% of Herefordshire adults consumed five or more portions of fruit or vegetables each day. This is a higher proportion than reported in England (31%) and the West Midlands (29%).