A new study shows that younger adults, particularly those in their 30s, are showing the fastest rising diagnoses of obesity in England. The study also showcased that people in their 20s are experiencing fast rises in obesity, too.
The study, coming from The Lancet and reported on by the BBC, showed that the rates of diagnoses for obesity in adults in their 30s had shot up by 20% in 2024-2025 compared to the figures from 2019-2020. New cases jumped by 16% in the same period for adults in their 20s. These increases were higher than older adults, but the most common ages for obesity diagnoses remained in the 40s to 50s range.
While older adults might have a more likely chance of diagnosis, rising figures for younger adults is a concern as obesity is often linked to long-term health issues like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Lead researcher Robert Fletcher said he believed there are three key reasons behind this rise in obesity among younger adults.
"They have been surrounded by unhealthy food in their formative years. On our high streets there has been a proliferation of takeaways and fast food outlets and unhealthy food has been heavily advertised as these age groups have been growing up," he said, adding the pandemic and cost of living crisis are only going to make matters worse.
"The stress of looking after children, while working from home and then being able to afford healthy food as inflation increased, has made healthier lifestyles more difficult."
