Experts are warning that Britain’s obesity crisis is increasingly affecting younger adults, with one age group recording a sharp rise in diagnoses. People in their 30s have seen cases climb by 20% compared with 2019-20, a trend researchers say is being driven by a combination of unhealthy food environments, pandemic pressures and the rising cost of living.
Research reported by The Lancet found that obesity diagnoses among people in their 20s have also risen, increasing by 16%. Older age groups have seen growth too, but the shift toward earlier diagnosis is causing concern because obesity is linked to a higher risk of serious health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Lead researcher Robert Fletcher said younger generations have grown up in surroundings where unhealthy options are often the easiest to access. He pointed to the spread of takeaways, fast food outlets and heavily marketed convenience foods as key factors behind the rise.
“They have been surrounded by unhealthy food in their formative years,” Fletcher said. “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.”
Fletcher also highlighted the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, particularly on younger adults juggling work, childcare and financial strain. Speaking to the BBC, he said: “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.”
He added that the pandemic, followed closely by the cost of living crisis, is likely to have hit younger age groups especially hard. Concerns over the scale of fast food advertising and the promotion of high-fat options have also been raised by Sarah Perman, a representative of the Association of Directors of Public Health.
Perman said: “From infancy, children and young people are bombarded with advertising that encourages an unhealthy diet. It is also far cheaper and easier for individuals to consume foods and drinks high in fat, sugar, and salt than healthier alternatives.”
Separate research by the Food Foundation has found that healthier foods are twice as expensive per calorie as unhealthy foods. Katharine Jenner, of the Obesity Health Alliance, said the conditions faced by people now in their 20s and 30s have strongly shaped “habit-forming behaviours,” making it harder for many to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
