Obesity
Management of weight is an integral part of almost all areas of nursing and midwifery practice. Obesity is a major issue for the UK and nursing and midwifery staff provide a key role in identifying those at risk from weight gain.
Nurses play a vital role in offering advice and support to help people achieve a healthy weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle. It is also essential for nursing staff themselves to be a healthy weight. This resource has been designed to support nursing staff support their patients and clients as well as in their own health.
Obesity is a growing concern across the UK. In 2007 the Foresight report, Tackling obesities concluded that half the UK population could be obese by 2050. In 2014 the National Obesity Forum stated that these estimates could in fact be optimistic. It is difficult to assess the specific effect of obesity on mortality and morbidity however, we do know that it is a contributory risk factor to general morbidity and premature death
Definition of obesity
The World Health Organization's definition of obesity is a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30.
The BMI is the most used measure for adults in the UK. It is the same for both sexes and across all ages and as such provides the most useful population-level indicator of overweight (BMI of 25 or above) and obesity. However, it should only be used as a guide and does not account for muscle mass or for fat distribution which varies between individuals. In children and adolescents the British 1990 growth reference charts are used to classify the weight status of children according to their age and sex because the BMI will vary depending on these factors.
NHS choices provide a useful tool for measuring obesity.
Health problems associated with morbid obesity may include:
- hypertension
- heart disease
- raised cholesterol levels
- type 2 diabetes
- respiratory problems
- gastroesophageal reflux
- urinary stress incontinence
- degenerative arthritis
- cancer
- skin infections
- sleep disturbance
- infertility.
There are also serious psychological and social repercussions from being overweight or obese.
From April 2013 local responsibility for the prevention and management of obesity in England transferred to local authorities.
Nursing you
Nursing You has been developed as part of the Healthy Weight Initiative for Nurses (WIN) and is designed to help nurses make healthy choices at work and maintain a healthy weight.
Royal Society for Public Health: In conversation with...
Weigh to go - weight management
The RCN has been working with members on a series of case studies which help showcase the variety of ways nurses are currently working to improve public health.
This case study looks at Weigh To Go - a weight management programme for 12 to 18 year olds.
Useful resources
England
The Department of Health and Social Care has set out the actions it will take to tackle obesity and help adults and children to live healthier lives, in a new strategy: see: Tackling obesity: government strategy (2020).
Public Health England (PHE) provides information on data, evaluation, evidence and research related to weight status and its determinants. Including information on the National Child Measurement Programme NCMP.
- Health matters: whole systems approach to obesity. A professional resource for local authorities and their local systems partners
- Public Health England guidance on UK physical activity
- Public Health England: Start active, stay active: report and infographics on physical activity in the UK
- England: Change 4 Life advice on diet and physical activity
- Public Health England. The Eatwell Guide (2016)
Scotland
Public Health Scotland. Diet and healthy weight - obesity
Wales
Public Health Wales. Overweight and obesity
Get a life, get active. Advice on how to get more activity into daily life, to help improve health. See also: the obesity prevention strategy for NI ‘A Fitter Future for All'
Public health NICE guidance
- NICE guidance (PH53): Managing overweight and obesity in adults – lifestyle weight management services. Recommendations on the provision of effective multi-component lifestyle weight management services for adults (18 or over) who are overweight or obese.
- NICE guidance (PH47): Managing overweight and obesity among children and young people: lifestyle weight management services. Recommendations on lifestyle weight management (sometimes called tier 2) services for overweight and obese children and young people aged under 18.
- NICE guidance (PH42): Obesity: working with local communities. Supports effective, sustainable and community-wide action to prevent obesity. It sets out how local communities, with support from local organisations and networks, can achieve this.
- NICE guidance (NG69) Eating disorders: recognition and treatment. Guidance covering the key points around what eating disorders are, how they are identified, and the methods available to manage them.
- NICE quality standard (QS111): Obesity in adults: prevention and lifestyle weight management programmes. This quality standard covers ways of preventing adults becoming overweight or obese and the provision of lifestyle weight management programmes for adults who are overweight or obese.
RCN resources
See: Nutrition and hydration clinical topic page.
See: Supporting behaviour change clinical topic page.
Nursing You has been developed as part of the Healthy Weight Initiative for Nurses (WIN) and is designed to help nurses make healthy choices at work and maintain a healthy weight.
Other resources
- Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Measuring up. The medical professions prescription for the nations obesity crisis (2013)
- Cancer research UK. Information for health care professionals on obesity and cancer. This page includes fact sheets and other information and links to the RCGP's open learning resource on supporting behaviour change.
- Department of Health and Social Care (2019) Time to solve childhood obesity: an independent report by the Chief Medical Officer. This reports calls for action across industry and the public sector to help the government reach its target of halving childhood obesity by 2030
- Department of Health. Start active, stay active: infographics on physical activity
- E-learning for health portal on All Our Health: Adult Obesity. If you haven’t already done so you need to create an e-learning account. This is free of charge.
- Managing adult nutrition. A practical guide and pathway to assist community healthcare professionals in identifying and managing the 3 million people in the UK at risk of disease-related malnutrition.
- Obesity Health Alliance. A coalition of over 30 organisations who are working together to influence Government policy on overweight and obesity.
- Royal College of Physicians. Action on obesity: comprehensive care for all, (2015)
- Royal College of General Practitioners. Nutrition and obesity
- Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (2021). Eating and drinking with acknowledged risks. Multidisciplinary guidance on eating and drinking with acknowledged risks.
- WHO. Ending childhood obesity (2016). Final report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity.
Page last updated - 08/07/2023
