obesity Studies show that excess body fat may contribute to more deaths than smoking in middle-aged and older people in the United Kingdom and Scotland.
Between 2003 and 2017, the rate of death from obesity increased from 17.9% to 23.1%.
At the same time, smoking mortality decreased from 23.1% to 19.4%.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow believe that the crossover is likely to have occurred in 2013.
Dr. Frederick Ho, who co-led the study, Medscape News UK: “Obesity is currently considered the number one problem in public health and we need to allocate proportional resources to address it.”
Data from health survey
Comparative risk assessment study, Published in open access journal BMC Public Health Used data from the England and Scotland Health Surveys of 192,239 adults aged 16 and over.
Participants reported whether they had smoked on a regular basis, and height and weight were measured by a trained interviewer or nurse.
Researchers combined their data with estimates of the risk of death from smoking or obesity.
Variations by age, gender and country
There were differences in relative risk depending on age and gender.
Among people over the age of 65, the estimated number of deaths in 2017 was 3.5% higher for obesity than for smoking. This figure increased the estimated number of deaths between the ages of 45 and 64 by 3.4%.
In the young group between the ages of 16 and 44, smoking accounted for 2.4% more deaths than obesity.
“Elderly people are more likely to become obese,” said Dr. Ho, a public health researcher. “That’s why we found that smoking remains the number one cause among young people under the age of 45 compared to obesity.”
Studies show that 2017 deaths were 5.2% higher than men’s smoking, while women’s deaths were 2.2% higher.
Between 2003 and 2017, the estimated death toll from obesity increased by 25.9% in women and 31% in men, while the death toll from smoking decreased by 18.1% in women and 14.9% in men. It is believed that it was done.
There were slight differences in obesity and smoking patterns between the United Kingdom and Scotland. “Basically, Scottish people are a little more likely to be obese and more likely to be smoking now, but when it comes to trends, they are very similar,” Dr. Ho said.
The authors warn that the number of deaths from smoking and obesity is only an estimate and that further investigation is needed to determine the factors that influence mortality.
Public health intervention
Dr. Ho said the findings suggest that public health initiatives should replicate the successful interventions used to reduce smoking rates in the last few years.
He suggested that the ban on fast-food advertising “may be a good start.” In addition, initiatives such as changing the default options for fast food restaurants from “chips” to “vegetables” may “fine-tune” consumers to make healthier choices.
“We know that people living in poor areas are more likely to become obese because health foods such as fruits and vegetables are so expensive,” so a more “affordable and healthy choice of foods”. “Can boost consumption.
Dr. Ho added that safe cycling routes and discounted gyms can boost physical activity.
Ho, FK, Celis-Morales, C., Petermann-Rocha, F. et al. A 15-year change in the contribution of obesity and smoking to death in the United Kingdom and Scotland. BMC Public Health 21, 169 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10167-3.. paper
