Skip to content

'It's no salad-eating town - takeaways are quick'

Rachael Lewis
BBC News, in Walsall
BBC Walsall high street, with shops of different colours lining the pedestrianised route, which shows shoppers in the distance, with a flowerbed in the foreground and a car parked on the left. BBC
Walsall is one of three West Midlands towns identified as places with the highest levels of obesity in the UK

"I eat the wrong food, it's the cost of it, especially for young families. Both my daughters are obese, one's 38 and one's 32, and they live on takeaways. We're working, it's quick and easy to get a takeaway."

The words of one shopper in Walsall, one of three towns in the West Midlands identified as having the highest levels of obesity in the UK.

Along with Cannock Chase and Tamworth, one in three in Walsall are estimated to be living with obesity, with people blaming it on the cost of healthy food, preferring the price and accessibility of fast food.

Another shopper said: "There's too many food places all in one place on that high street, everywhere you look it's food, food, food. They need more healthy things and options."

Another said: "I always think it's down to cost really, better food is more expensive, quite simply."

The figures have been published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities using data from the Sport England Active Lives Adult Survey.

The list covers all upper-tier and lower-tier local authorities in England, including both district and county councils.

These three West Midlands towns came out in the top 12:

  • Cannock Chase: 37.8% of the population estimated to be obese.
  • Tamworth: 37.4%
  • Walsall: 36.2%

Tracey Richardson Woman smiling with hands in the sky with a black dress with flowers on it. Tracey Richardson
Tracey Richardson says the cost of healthy food is one of the reasons why the region is seeing the obesity problem.

Experts agree that unhealthy food and tight budgets are some of the main reasons why the region is seeing such high obesity figures.

Tracey Richardson, of Wednesbury, who runs a Slimming World group in Tipton, said the trend is a "nationwide thing".

"It's not shocking at all," she said. "It's time, it's convenience, they are hit with so many shops every time you walk down the high street, there is something for everyone, from your pasties to your curries.

"It's all about the mindset, we can still have these things, but it's all about moderation and knowing what to choose from the menus."

Aidan Smith Man with short hair and a beard looks into the camera wearing a grey, zipped sports top. Behind him are pieces of gym equipment. Aidan Smith
Personal trainer Aidan Smith has been talking to the BBC about his health tips

Personal trainer Aidan Smith, who owns MA Peformance Ltd in Walsall, talked to the BBC about how people are struggling to lose weight.

Here are his top tips:

  • Drink lots of water
  • Go on walks
  • Ensure half your plate is vegetables for vitamins
  • Get a good night's sleep, between 7-8 hours
  • Speak to a fitness professional

'Stopping junk food ads'

The Department of Health & Social Care said action had already been taken to "tackle the obesity crisis".

" [It has involved] stopping junk food ads being targeted at children across TV and online, which will reduce the number of people living with obesity by 20,000 and deliver health benefits to the economy worth £2 billion," a spokesperson said.

"We've also given local authorities stronger powers to block applications for new takeaways near schools and we are commissioning research to improve the evidence on the health impacts of ultra processed foods."

More on this story

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.