Post by Banjo on Jun 27, 2014 6:49:55 GMT 7
Three in four over-65s overweight
Doctors warn of knock-on health problems as figures show 5.8m people aged 65 and over in England are overweight
A growing obesity epidemic among older people will lead to more over-65s suffering heart problems, arthritis and breathing problems, doctors say, as figures show almost three-quarters of people of retirement age are overweight or obese.
The knock-on effect could prove so great that it may reverse the long-established trend towards lengthening life expectancy and shorten the time older people live free of illness or disability.
NHS figures show that 5.8 million over-65s are obese or overweight – an increase of 800,000 between 2003 and 2012.
Broken down by age groups, 73% of people in the 55-64 and 65-74 categories are overweight, followed by 72% of 45- to 54-year-olds and 70% of those aged 75 or above, according to data from the NHS's Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
The only age group in England where the average body mass index is below 25 – the point at which someone is classed as overweight, with 30 and above being obese – is 16-24. The average BMI among the 16-24 group is 24.5, and among those aged between 45 and 74 it is 28.3.
Professor Martin Severs, consultant geriatrician at Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra hospital and HSCIC lead clinician, said the extent of excess weight among over-65s would bring about a host of health problems.
"Obesity is going to have a lot of short- to medium-term effects around diabetes and heart disease. And then you have got long-term issues because your body will be carrying around a lot more weight, you then go on to suffer problems such as arthritis and having difficulty breathing," he said.
Tam Fry, a spokesman for the National Obesity Forum, said many overweight older people were in a catch-22 situation because health problems linked to their weight and muscle wastage meant they could not easily take exercise.
Ruthe Isden, health influencing programme director at Age UK, said only a tiny proportion of over-65s, including 4% of over-75s, exercised enough.
An HSCIC report laid out how older people account for ever-greater proportions of emergency admissions to hospital, mental health care, outpatient visits, hospital bed use, drug prescriptions and attendance at A&E units.
For example, over-65s – who make up one-sixth of the population – use 60% of all medication dispensed and account for 54% of stays in hospital. Over-85s make up 2% of the population and account for 18% of hospital bed days.
More positively, healthy life expectancy is rising in tandem with growing life expectancy, which now stands at 83 for men and 86 for women, up from 78 and 82 respectively in 1982.
Fewer older people are developing heart disease or having a stroke, partly linked to being the age group least likely to smoke.
A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Obesity affects all age groups and there is no magic bullet to solve the problem. It is going to take continued effort from all of us – government, local communities, industry and individuals – to reverse this trend."
www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/26/three-quarters-over-65s-overweight