Health survey reports on BMI and health conditions

About the study 

The Health Survey for England (HSE) 2022 Part 2 is the latest in a long-running series of surveys carried out by the National Centre for Social Research, with UCL, on behalf of NHS England. The survey series covers core topics every year, including general health and key lifestyle behaviours that influence health, and social care.

Findings 

• In 2022, 41% of adults had at least one longstanding illness or condition.
• The proportion of adults with raised cholesterol was 53%, an increase from 43% in 2019.
  • Prevalence of raised cholesterol was greater among women (56% in 2022, 45% in 2019) than men (49% in 2022, 40% in 2019).
• The prevalence of diabetes was 10%, comprised of 6% of adults with doctor-diagnosed diabetes and a further 5% with undiagnosed diabetes.
  • Estimates are rounded to the nearest whole number. Where categories are combined the sum of two estimates may sometimes appear to be greater or less than expected. 
• In 2022, 29% of adults were living with obesity, and 64% were overweight or living with obesity.
  • Prevalence of adult overweight and obesity remained stable since 2019 (28% living with obesity, 64% overweight or living with obesity).
• Among children aged 2 to 15, the prevalence of obesity was 15%, and the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) was 27%.
  • This is similar to 2019, when obesity prevalence was 16% and prevalence of overweight (including obesity) was 30% among children.
• 2% of adults aged 35 and over reported that they had been told by a doctor that they had kidney disease.
  • Of adults aged 35 and over, 22% of adults had chronic kidney disease (based on objective markers from blood and urine samples). 11% had the more severe stages 3 to 5.
• Adults aged 75 and over (5%) were most likely to report being told they had kidney disease.
  • Around half of adults aged 75 and over (48%) had chronic kidney disease based on objective measures, including over a third who had the more severe stages 3 to 5 (36%).
• The proportion of adults who reported experiencing an impact on their health increased with the number of hours they spent providing care in the last week (81% of those who provided 20 or more hours of care compared with 30% of those who provided less than 1 hour).

Methodology 

The HSE is a survey designed to be representative of adults and children living in England. 7,729 adults and 1,393 children were interviewed in their homes. 3,885 adults and 507 children were also visited by a biomedical fieldworker who measured blood pressure and took samples of blood, saliva, and urine. Fieldwork took place between January 2022 and October 2023.