Scottish Health Survey 2021 - Media Statement
08 November 2022
Key findings around weight include that in 2021, 67% of adults were classified as having overweight (including obesity) which is an increase of 1% from 2019. Men are still more likely to have overweight and obesity than women (70% vs 64%). Just under a third of the population (30%) now lives with obesity, which is the highest level ever recorded by the survey. For adults living with severe obesity (BMI > 40kg/m2), prevalence rates have remained fairly static recently but they have increased from 2.5% in 2003 to 3.8% in 2021.
The mean BMI of the entire adult population was 28kg/m2 which is also the highest on record, having previously been 27.7kg/m2 in 2019. This rising average across the population is likely to be responsible for the higher number of people moving into the overweight and obesity classifications.
The number of people eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day also remains stable at 22%. This was the same as pre-pandemic levels. Fruit and vegetable intake is particularly low in younger age groups, with 16–24-year-olds consuming 2.8 portions on average compared to over 3 portions across all other ages. Free sugar intake makes up around 10% of average daily energy for adults, and we consume 13g more per day than is recommended. Food insecurity also remains a significant issue, with 9% of adults saying they were worried they would run out of food in the last 12 months.
Lorraine Tulloch, Programme Lead, said:
“The data released today shows that we continue to head in the wrong direction if we want to achieve a healthy weight adult population in Scotland. These results are not a surprise; rates of overweight and obesity have been increasing and we know people reported putting on weight as a result of pandemic lockdown measures.
It is now more important than ever that we take the bold steps needed to improve our food environment and allow everyone across Scotland easy access to affordable healthy food. The government must take action through legislation to ensure that the food and drink sector shift their marketing, promotions and advertising away from unhealthy foods.”
Technical Notes: This year’s survey was conducted via telephone interview, as was done in the 2020 survey, due to COVID-19 restrictions during the interview period. However, this year’s overall participant sample was larger and returned to a similar size seen in surveys before 2020. This means many of the results can be compared to previous years. The findings remain representative of households across Scotland.