Obesity indicators 2017

Key points

• In 2016, 65% of adults aged 16 and over were overweight, including 29% who were obese. Levels of overweight and obesity increased between 1995 and 2008, but have remained relatively stable since then.
• Since 1998, the proportion of children at risk of overweight (including obesity) has fluctuated between 28% and 33%. In 2016, 29% of children were at risk of overweight, including 14% at risk of obesity.
• At the end of 2016, there were 291,981 people diagnosed with diabetes in Scotland recorded on local diabetes registers. Of all cases, 88.3% (257,728) were Type 2 diabetes. Prevalence of Type 2 diabetes continues to increase steadily.
• Sixty four percent of adults aged 16 and over met the current moderate/vigorous physical activity ( MVPA) guideline. There has been no significant change to this proportion since 2012.
• Seventy six percent of children are active for an average of 60 minutes per day (including school-based activity). Trends in physical activity for children have fluctuated over the years but the 2016 figure is the joint highest along with 2014.
• In 2015, the percentage of food energy contributed by added sugars (14.4%) remained higher than the Scottish Dietary Goal of less than 11% of food energy.
• Between 2010 and 2016, the volume of sales of regular soft drinks reduced, while sales of confectionery, biscuits, cakes and pastries remained relatively unchanged.