Obesity hospital admissions in Northants are fourth highest in England

Hospital admissions for obesity in Northamptonshire are among the highest in the country, according to data from the NHS.

Figures published last week by NHS Digital show that in the year 2018/19, Northants residents were admitted to hospital 21,080 times where obesity was a factor.

The year before there were 13,465 admissions where obesity was a primary or secondary diagnosis.

It puts Northamptonshire fourth in England for hospital admissions linked to obesity. Only Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Lancashire were higher.

When the rate of admissions linked to obesity is calculated per 100,000 people, Northamptonshire is well above the national average for England and is seventh in the country.

Obesity is a big cost to the NHS and Public Health England said: "Failing to address the challenge of the obesity epidemic will place an even greater burden on NHS resources.

"It is estimated that the NHS spent £6.1bn on overweight and obesity-related ill-health in 2014 to 2015.

"Annual spend on the treatment of obesity and diabetes is greater than the amount spent on the police, the fire service and the judicial system combined."

PHE's guidance on obesity says nearly two-thirds of adults in England are classed as being overweight or obese. Overweight is classified by a body mass index (BMI) of over 25 and obese is a BMI of over 30.

PHE said: "It is estimated that obesity is responsible for more than 30,000 deaths each year. On average, obesity deprives an individual of an extra nine years of life, preventing many individuals from reaching retirement age."

Obesity is linked to an increased risk from diseases such as a three-times higher risk of colon cancer, a two-and-a-half times greater risk from high blood pressure and five times more risk of developing type two diabetes.

PHE said: "The prevalence of obesity is similar in men and women, but men are more likely to be overweight."

In Northamptonshire, women were more almost two times more likely than men to be in hospital, with 13,440 hospitalisations of women for obesity compared to 7,640 men.

Even when the rate of admissions is calculated per 100,000 people, Northamptonshire's admissions with obesity as a factor is almost double the average in England.

There were 1,615 admissions with a primary or secondary diagnosis of obesity for every 100,000 people across England in 2018/19, compared to 2,959 in Northamptonshire.

However, the county was below the national average for obesity admissions for bariatric surgery, procedures that help people lose weight. There were 75 admissions for bariatric surgery in the county in 2018/19, a rate of 10 per 100,000 people.

Across England, the rate was 13 per 100,000 people.

PHE and the NHS are working to tackle rates of obesity as costs to the NHS are predicted to reach £9.7bn by 2050.

There are nation-wide plans to reduce the number of new food takeaway outlets, programmes in schools to help children's health, a sugar tax, and marketing campaigns like Change4Life, which aims to help people make healthy lifestyle changes.