The Obesity, Diet and Physical Activity Profile, 2019 includes data from a number of different sources. It reports the proportion of Jersey residents classed as healthy weight, overweight and obese, and includes information on 2 drivers of obesity: diet and physical activity. Key points include:

• based on body mass index (BMI) and waist measurement results from the 2019 Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (JOLS):
• almost 1 in 6 (17%) of the Jersey adult population were classed as obese (had a BMI of 30 or more); this has remained reasonably similar since 2008
• a similar proportion of adult males and females were classified as obese; however, 39% of males were classified as overweight (had a BMI between 25 and 30) compared to 27% of females, but…
• …three-quarters (74%) of males had an ideal waist measurement compared to half (48%) of females
• the proportion of adults classified as overweight or obese increased with age. Two-fifths of 16 to 34 year olds were classed as such, compared to almost three-fifths of people aged 45 and above
• the 2018/19 Jersey Child Measurement Programme recorded 9% of Reception and 17% of Year 6 children as obese
• according to JOLS 2019, a third (35%) of adults ate 5 or more portions of fruit or vegetables the previous day; this has remained fairly constant over the last 10 years
• a quarter (23%) of adults aged 16 to 34 years ate 5 portions of fruit or vegetables the previous day, compared to two-fifths (44%) of those aged 65 years or older
• in 2018, 30% of Year 6 schoolchildren ate 5 or portions of fruit or vegetables the previous day compared to 25% of Year 8 and 20% of Year 10 children
• over three-quarters (78%) of Jersey adults described themselves as very active or fairly active in the 2019 JOLS, but…
• …only half (51%) of all adults met the NHS guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week
• in 2018, a quarter of Year 6 children (27% of males, 23% of females) met the NHS recommended guidelines of being physically active for at least an hour per day on every day of the previous week. This compares to 19% of Year 10 males and 12% of Year 10 females
• in 2018, over two-fifths (46%) of Year 6 males and one-third (33%) of Year 6 females had spent 3 hours or more on electronic ‘screens’ the previous day. Around three-quarters of Year 10 males (77%) and Year 10 females (72%) had spent 3 hours or more on ‘screens’ the previous day​

Obesity, diet and physical activity 2019