Forums Forums Local News Obese Wirral Hits Records Again

Wirral was the highest area for obesity related hospital admissions in 2018/19 with 3804 admissions. The figures for 2013 thru 2019 show we varied from over three times above the English and North West averages to over double.

This isn't saying we are the most obese but its the combination of both obesity and poor health teaming up together. It may be related to the high alcohol use where Wirral often hits the charts.

Appalling really as the Wirral must be one of the best areas in the country for the number and variety of walks available and has less extreme weather than many other parts.

What is worse is that the figure is still rapidly increasing.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...clude-Wirral-Wigan-Stoke-Nottingham.html

Where does Wirral come in mental health on the richter scale ? That's a serious question becuase the two could be linked.

Whilst the Wirral isn't a good performer, it is nowhere near as bad as many other areas eg Wirral red lines on two out of seven categories, whereas Liverpool, Halton and Knowsley all red line on five.

I'm not going to type them all out but two encompassing categories

Broadly similar:
Estimated prevalence of common mental disorders: % of population aged 16 & over
Wirral 17.4% England 16.9%

Red Line:
Depression and anxiety prevalence (GP Patient Survey): % of respondents aged 18+
Wirral 16.8% England 13.7%


https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profi.../sex/4/cid/4/tbm/1/page-options/ovw-do-0


It should be noted that alcohol is a depressant and so excessive use of alcohol will bring on depression. Bit of cause/effect, chicken/egg situation but overall it increases the prevalence of depression, not everybody starts drinking because they are depressed, the majority are probably peer pressure.

Plus, alcohol can lead to obesity.

On that 1st link you posted, York, Wigan, Nottingham and Stoke, their cases have risen sharply from 2014.
Wirrals has always been high from that date.
Shocking really.

Alcohol is maybe one reason, as Mikeeb says, can lead to obesity. Another is medication given to those suffering from mental health illness. One of the meds can cause a sugar craving on a massive scale .. to a point of addiction.

Could it be that someone in the NHS in Wirral is keen on solving obesity problems and has managed to make the organisation record more cases of obesity than other areas?

It certainly isn't obvious just by looking at people in Wirral and those in other parts of the country?

I think obesity is sometimes difficult to define. A few years back at work we had a visit from a local fitness centre, obviously trying to drum up business. They weighed us and took body fat measurements. I am 5 ft 11 and then weighed 11 and a half stone, waist 34.5inches my body fat was 7.5. At that time I was refereeing 2-3 games a week at a fairly decent level. Anyway just a couple of months later I did my cruciate ligament and needed an operation. The nurse doing my pre op assessment declared that I was obese !

That is wrong compared with their own charts.
For your height, 11.5 stone is bang in the middle of a healthy weight.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/height-weight-chart/