The National Obesity ObservatoryDr Harry RutterDirector, National Obesity Observatory

NOO aims to:

Provide a single point of contact for wide-ranging, authoritative information on data, evidence and practice related to obesity, overweight, underweight and their determinants

NOO aims to:

Provide a single point of contact for wide-ranging, authoritative information on data, evidence and practice related to obesity, overweight, underweight and their determinants

NOO aims to:

Provide a single point of contact for wide-ranging, authoritative information on data, evidence and practice related to obesity, overweight, underweight and their determinants

NOO aims to:

Provide a single point of contact for wide-ranging, authoritative information on data, evidence and practice related to obesity, overweight, underweight and their determinants

NOO aims to:

Provide a single point of contact for wide-ranging, authoritative information on data, evidence and practice related to obesity, overweight, underweight and their determinants

NOO aims to:

Provide a single point of contact for wide-ranging, authoritative information on data, evidence and practice related to obesity, overweight, underweight and their determinants

NOO aims to:

Provide a single point of contact for wide-ranging, authoritative information on data, evidence and practice related to obesity, overweight, underweight and their determinants

NOO aims to:

Provide a single point of contact for wide-ranging, authoritative information on data, evidence and practice related to obesity, overweight, underweight and their determinants

…to support policy makers and practitioners involved in tackling obesity and related issues

Positioning

• Public Health Observatory

• Part of APHO

• Based alongside SEPHO

• NHS organisation

• Academic links

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives(Jan 2008)

National Obesity Observatory commissioned to support the strategy in six key areas

Six key areas

• Data and evidence

• Surveillance

• Data analysis

• Evaluation guidance

• International links

• Support Expert Panel

Authoritative source of data and evidence on obesity, overweight and their determinants

• Compare IOTF, WHO, UK 90 approaches:options paper and consensus workshop

• Map data, evidence, policy • Consult on user needs (and meet them!)

Co-ordinate surveillance onobesity and overweight

• Advise onNational Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)

• Advise on other surveillance activities

Analyse surveillance and indicator data

• Detailed report on the NCMP 2007/08(complementing IC report)

• Wide range of other analyses and analytical tools in due course

Provide guidance on assessing and evaluating pilots and demonstration sites in England

• Develop standard evaluation criteria and guidance

International best practice and links with key international and other supranational bodies

• Participate in UK, EU and international networks on obesity and related issues– PREVOB– HOPE– ALPHA– HEPA Europe– WHO/CDC/IOTF etc– Being here!

Provide technical support to the Expert Panel

• Technical papers, guidance, etc

Not forgetting…

• Links to research agenda

• Support to other national strategies

• Develop Foresight systems map

• Academic links

www.noo.org.uk

What are the population attributablefractions of the modifiable causal riskfactors for obesity and what can be done to address them?

What are the population attributablefractions of the modifiable causal riskfactors for obesity and what can be done to address them?

What are the population attributablefractions of the modifiable causal riskfactors for obesity and what can be done to address them?

Source: Foresight - Tackling obesities: future choices - http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Obesity/Obesity_final/Index.html

Foodenvironment

Foodconsumption

Physicalactivity

Activityenvironment

Obesity

Individual

Psychology

Societalinfluences

Biology

Source: Foresight systems map, 2007

Will Lehman Brothers have a posthumous impact on obesity?

If so, what?

How would we know?

What could wedo about it?

NCMP

• Records height, weight, age, sex, ethnicity, postcode

• Reception and year 6

• Approx 1 million children / year

Deprivation (IMD 2007) and child obesity (NCMP 2006/07) based on postcode of school (100% completeness)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Decile of deprivation (1 = most deprived)

Pre

vale

nce

of

ob

esit

y

Boys 10-11 years

Girls 10-11years

Boys 4-5 years

Girls 4-5 years

Child obesity prevalence and average height for children aged 10-11 years by ethnic group (NCMP 2006/07)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Bla

ck -

Afr

ican

Bla

ck C

arib

bean

Any

Oth

er B

lack

Bac

kgro

und

Whi

te a

nd B

lack

Afr

ican

Whi

te a

nd B

lack

Car

ibbe

an

Any

Oth

er M

ixed

Bac

kgro

und

Any

Oth

er W

hite

Bac

kgro

und

Whi

te a

nd A

sian

Not

Sta

ted

Pak

ista

ni

Indi

an

Any

Oth

er E

thni

cG

roup

Whi

te -

Brit

ish

Whi

te -

Iris

h

Any

Oth

er A

sian

Bac

kgro

und

No

info

rmat

ion

give

n

Ban

glad

eshi

Chi

nese

Ethnic group

Pre

vale

nce

of

ob

esit

y

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

Ave

rag

e h

eig

ht

(cm

)

Prevalence of obesity

Average height

Future possibilities

• Detailed socio-economic analyses

• Ethnicity and height

• GIS analyses

• Ecological analyses

• Pseudonymised linkage

• Longitudinal follow-up

Establishing common standards

• Co-ordinating routine data

• Common standards across sectors and government departments

• Standard evaluation criteria

Learning from interventions

• Cycling Cities and Towns - £100 million

• Healthy Towns - £60 million

• Connect2 - £100 million

Knowledge from experience

What we cannot speak of we must pass over in silence

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

Evidence trajectories

Time

Speculation

Num

ber

of in

terv

entio

ns

Evidence-basedinterventions

Prevalence and incidence of evidence

Time

Num

ber

of s

tudi

es

Prevalence

Incidence

Knowledge into action

Conclusions

• Use Foresight map as a template• Consult on priorities• Don’t reinvent the wheel (or buy spares)• Understand this stuff• Interpret and translate this stuff• Disseminate this stuff• Evaluate our effectiveness• Improve…

info@noo.org.uk

www.noo.org.uk