South Lakeland Health Improvement Plan - NHS Cumbria

8.1. Body Mass Index (BMI)Body Mass index is the most commonly used measure of adult (>16) weight.It is a measure of body fat based on height and weight and the followingcategories are used:• Underweight: BMI 308.1.1. A dultsThe number of overweight and obese adults in England has nearly trebled inthe last 20 years, and in 2006, 24.9% of males and 25.2% of females wereclassed as obese.Obesity is linked to many significant health problems including:coronary heart disease; stroke; diabetes; impaired fertility and poor mentalhealth. The North West region shows the same growing trend and overalllevel of obesity as England as a whole. In 2006, 23.4% of men and 21. 6% ofwomen were classed as obese (BMI >30) in the North West region. In SouthLakeland, 24.2% of the population is classed as obese which is notsignificantly different from the England average of 23.6%.Figure 8.1 illustrates how levels of obesity among those living in SouthLakeland compare with other areas of Cumbria. This data is based on thosewho attend GP’s in the area and so can only be used to rank order areaswithin Cumbria rather than compare them with the national figures. SouthLakeland can be seen to have the smallest percentage of its populationclassed as obese compared to other districts in Cumbria.Figure 8.1) Percentage of people in each district in Cumbria who are classified asobese (Based on data from GP practices. Only those who attend a G P are included inthese figures). Data source: Cumbria Intelligence Observatory12108Cumbria = 8.1% Obesity6420SouthLakelandEden Barrow Carlisle Allerdale CopelandDistrictSouth Lakeland Baseline Assessment 2009 23