Obesity Action Scotland | Providing leadership and advocacy on preventing & reducing obesity & overweight in Scotland | Scotland’s health: The data demanding action

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The availability of data and the stories it tells are now some of the key drivers behind decision making in the modern world. In public health, it’s relied on to identify issues that determine people’s health outcomes and it’s also tested to show possible solutions. Although data may seem dull and one dimensional to some, those features are also its most powerful. Good data doesn’t lie. It doesn’t follow any political ideologies but instead it can reveal a situation in its most basic and true form. This reliability makes it a priceless tool to public health experts and campaigners who can use it to provide ideas and solutions which are clearly grounded in evidence. Good data can often tell stories, and its stories can be even more powerful when other sources can back it up. In Scotland the latest health data for diet and weight is undoubtedly showing a clear pattern and telling a story our policymakers need to listen to.

Child data

Arguably the most important area for population health data is that relating to children, and the latest Primary 1 BMI data in Scotland highlights the scale of action needed for our young people’s health. The 2021/2022 report showed just under a quarter of Primary 1 children (24%) were at risk of developing overweight and obesity – around 6 children in a classroom of 24. It also showed health inequalities caused by area-level deprivation are clear and persistent in children across Scotland, with those from the most deprived backgrounds being over twice as likely to be at risk of developing obesity compared to children from the least deprived (15% vs 7%).

The end of 2022 also saw an independent review of health inequalities in Scotland published by the Health Foundation. This included a report by the University of Glasgow examining trends in social inequalities which found that weight inequalities in children in Scotland exist even at the age of two (27-30 month check). Another important finding showed that overall physical activity levels in children from more deprived areas are actually the same as, if not higher, than those from more affluent backgrounds. This raises questions around what other factors are driving inequalities in weight between deprivation groups, with differences in food quality and insecurity likely being significant.

Adult data

Data for the adult population paints a similar picture. The Scottish Health Survey 2021 confirmed that the number of adults classified as having overweight and obesity in Scotland is the highest ever recorded at 67%. Within this, 30% of the population now lives with obesity which is also a record-high. It should be noted that height and weight measurements used to calculate BMI in the 2021 survey were self-reported which may have had an effect on the accuracy of the final weight data. In terms of diet, the number of people eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day remains low, yet stable, at 22%. Food insecurity also remains an issue, with 9% of adults saying they were worried they would run out of food in the last 12 months.

Maternal weight is another important indicator for population health and, in line with findings from the Scottish Health Survey, the latest statistics for 2021/22 show rates of obesity in mothers are the highest since records began across all age groups and deprivation levels (57%). Once again, deprivation is clearly shown to create inequalities in this group, with obesity rates in the most deprived mothers being 12% higher than in the least deprived. These are important findings not only regarding the health of mothers in Scotland, but also their children. There is now strong evidence showing that children are at greater risk of developing a higher BMI if their mother has obesity before conception and during pregnancy.

The story

The findings of these latest publications all show a similar pattern and are a prime example of data telling us a story. It’s telling us that population weight in Scotland is still increasing across the board. It’s telling us that weight is largely influenced by deprivation, which results in poor health outcomes and widening inequalities across the population. Findings as clear as these can’t be ignored.

Fortunately, there is an abundance of data outlining the causes of rising weights in populations. The types of food and drinks most easily available to people, and how they are marketed and priced is one of the leading factors. It is also one that government’s have the power, and duty, to control. If we really want to address the story our health data is telling then we also need to harness the data offering solutions and include them in evidence-based legislation and policies.

And it appears the Scottish public itself already recognises this story and supports such action being taken. Our recent polling shows high levels of support for a range of policy interventions aimed at improving diet and weight outcomes, while separate polling shows 86% of people believe more should be done to address health inequalities in Scotland.

We call on the Scottish Government to acknowledge the story being told by our national data and take the necessary action to help protect the health of the public.