City of York Council’s health boss said the city is facing “an increasing health issue” as around two thirds of adults no longer fall into ‘healthy weight’ categories.
The problem mirrors the national picture with the number of hospital admissions across England rising.
New NHS Digital figures show obesity was the primary or secondary cause of around 6,690 hospital admissions for patients in York in the 2023 financial year.
This was up from the year before, when there were around 6,200 admissions.
Nationally, admissions have increased eight per cent since last year, when there were 1.1 million recorded.
Helen Kirrane, head of policy and campaigns at Diabetes UK, said obesity is a "major risk factor" in developing diabetes, which is also rising rapidly.
She called for greater investment in weight management treatment, and prioritising weight loss medication for those most in need.
Peter Roderick, the council’s director of public health, said it was important to address the issue of obesity in York.
He said a major factor that contributes to obesity is excess calorie consumption, “and the fact that half of our calories now come from ultra processed foods”.
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