Obesity is a significant complex health issue and one of the biggest health challenges in Bexley. Bexley has among the highest rates of obesity in London across all age ranges.¹ There are key health inequalities in Bexley related to obesity, with the highest prevalence mainly in more deprived areas in the north, and rates vary significantly by ethnicity. In Bexley one in six children who enter primary school not overweight leave primary school overweight, increasing from almost one in four to over one in three.²

Obesity has huge health, social and economic impacts. People living with obesity have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, some cancers, poorer mental health and wellbeing, cardiovascular disease, and have shorter life expectancy, with childhood obesity shown to track into adulthood.³ The national economic costs of obesity are significant - £27 billion in total.⁴ People who are obese have a shorter life expectancy, are less likely to be employed, and are much higher users of social care and health services.⁵ People who are obese may also face discrimination and stigmatisation.⁶

Traditionally efforts to reduce obesity have focused primarily on the individual, however, research shows that in modern Britain we live in an environment where it is easier to be an unhealthy weight than a healthy weight.⁷ The environment around us - such as the number of fast-food restaurants, access to green spaces, and exposure to advertising - impacts on our weight as well as lifestyle choices individuals make. Obesity is a complex issue that requires action at a wider societal level as well as on an individual level.⁸ Bexley’s Obesity Strategy (2020-25) sets out actions to reduce obesity in Bexley aimed at individuals and society with a focus on reducing inequalities and commits to take a whole-systems approach to reducing obesity.