Almost a third of adults (32%) were living with obesity, the highest level recorded and an increase from 24% in 2003. The survey also found 14% of adults reported experiencing food insecurity, an increase from 9% in 2021 and the highest level since the time series began in 2017.
Obesity is linked to a range of health outcomes including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, asthma and high cholesterol, having the potential to worsen existing conditions and/or to lead to new ones developing.
Just under a fifth (18%) of children aged 2-15 consumed five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day, a proportion similar to 2021 (20%) and 2022 (21%) and remaining higher than in earlier years (13% in 2008).
Professor Sir Gregor Smith, chief medical officer for Scotland, said: “The 2023 Scottish Health Survey results presented in this report provide a crucial picture of health and wellbeing in Scotland and how this has changed over the past two decades. We see a significant increase in levels of food insecurity and the highest levels of obesity recorded.”