» Please note that there is a more recent ObÉpi survey than this one, dating from 2012. To access it, click on the following link: ObÉpi Roche 2012 survey .
A national epidemiological survey (in France) on overweight and obesity is regularly carried out. Since 1997, the company Roche (pharmaceutical laboratory) has carried out this kind of survey every 3 years thanks to the collaboration of several doctors or professors (1) .
In 2009, this was therefore the 5th edition of this survey.
OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
The objectives of the survey are multiple. Among these objectives, we find in particular:
- To improve the appreciation of the prevalence of overweight and obesity
- Evaluate the respective evolutions of these two phenomena
- Raise the awareness of public authorities and clinicians about this major public health problem
As a reminder, an individual is considered overweight if their BMI (Body Mass Index) is greater than 25. The individual is obese if their BMI is greater than 30. The methodology used by the survey relies heavily on this Body Mass Index Bodily, since 1997. You can calculate your own BMI by clicking on this link to find out in which bracket you are.
CONTEXT OF THE SURVEY
The ObÉpi 2009 survey was carried out from January 29 to March 12, 2009 among a sample of 20,000 households (2) , ie 38,904 individuals in total (people aged 15 and over), representative of the French population.
The results presented are those:
» Adults aged 18 and over, from this sample (individuals aged 15 to 17 are therefore not taken into account).
People who (obviously) responded, because not everyone responded.
14,763 households returned their form, which makes a response rate of 73.8% and which represents 25,286 individuals over the age of 18. It is therefore on this fairly representative panel that the figures are presented.
The survey is carried out by simple post: a questionnaire is sent, and the person answers it alone, at home (by returning the questionnaire by post). Between 2006 and 2009 the return rate (73.8%) was significantly improved because there are now gift points (!) which are automatically awarded to people who respond. However, these gift points only have a very symbolic value.
RESULTS AND FIGURES TO REMEMBER
Since the first survey in 1997, obesity has increased by 71% since in 2009 there were 6,488,000 French people affected by obesity (against 3,566,000 in 1997).
In 2009, the state of the corpulence of individuals was as follows:
| Distribution of the corpulence of the French in 2009 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Not overweight | Overweight | Obesity | Severe obesity | Morbid obesity |
| BMI | < 25 | 25 < BMI < 30 | 30 < BMI < 35 | 35 < BMI < 40 | BMI > 40 |
| % population | 53.6% | 31.9% | 10.6% | 2.8% | 1.1% |
Graphically, here is a representation:
The increase in obesity between the survey we are talking about (in 2009) and the one that preceded it (in 2006) is the highest ever observed since the first ObÉpi survey (in 1997). The increase is 14.5% in 3 years. A substantial number. In 3 years the French population has grown by 0.9 kg on average according to survey figures.
| Increase in the number of obese people in France between 1997 and 2009 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | 1997 | 1997-2000 | 2000-2003 | 2003-2006 | 2006-2009 |
| Evolution | / | +18.8% | +17.8% | +10.1% | +10.7% |
| Obese (2) | 8.5% | 10.1% | 11.9% | 13.1% | 14.5% |
More precisely, here is the evolution for each segment of category of corpulence.
NOTABLE DIFFERENCES BY REGION IN FRANCE
Nord-Pas-de-Calais has been the most affected region since 2003. In 2009 the obesity rate was 20.5% in 2009, i.e. a prevalence nearly 40% higher than the average. The least affected region is the PACA region, in which the obesity rate is about twice as low as that of Nord-Pas-de-Calais (11.5%).
| Obesity rate by region between 1997 and 2006 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | 1997 | 2000 | 2003 | 2006 | 2009 | Increase (since 1997) |
| Alsace | 9.10% | 12.20% | 12.20% | 16.20% | 17.80% | 95.60% |
| Aquitaine | 8.50% | 9.70% | 11.00% | 12.70% | 13.70% | 61.20% |
| Auvergne | 11.10% | 10.20% | 14.40% | 13.90% | 14.40% | 29.70% |
| Lower Normandy | 9.40% | 8.70% | 11.90% | 14.20% | 16.30% | 73.40% |
| Burgundy | 9.80% | 9.80% | 12.00% | 11.70% | 15.50% | 58.20% |
| Brittany | 6.70% | 8.50% | 9.40% | 10.50% | 12.20% | 82.10% |
| Center | 9.80% | 10.70% | 13.60% | 13.70% | 17.70% | 80.60% |
| Champagne-Ardenne | 8.50% | 13.60% | 16.00% | 14.20% | 17.00% | 100.00% |
| Franche-Comte | 6.30% | 9.30% | 10.60% | 15.30% | 14.80% | 134.90% |
| Upper Normandy | 10.90% | 14.80% | 12.90% | 16.70% | 15.20% | 39.40% |
| Languedoc-Roussillon | 10.30% | 11.00% | 13.10% | 13.90% | 14.20% | 37.90% |
| Limousin | 8.10% | 9.40% | 14.00% | 14.70% | 13.80% | 70.40% |
| Loire | 6.80% | 7.60% | 10.00% | 12.20% | 13.30% | 95.60% |
| Lorraine | 10.50% | 12.50% | 12.10% | 14.10% | 17.60% | 67.60% |
| Midi-Pyrenees | 7.80% | 8.30% | 9.60% | 10.10% | 13.60% | 74.40% |
| Nord Pas de Calais | 13.50% | 14.30% | 16.00% | 19.20% | 20.50% | 51.90% |
| PACA | 6.80% | 10.00% | 10.60% | 11.50% | 11.50% | 69.10% |
| Picardy | 9.10% | 12.70% | 15.70% | 14.40% | 17.70% | 94.50% |
| Poitou-Charentes | 8.80% | 7.90% | 12.10% | 12.80% | 14.20% | 61.40% |
| Parisian region | 7.00% | 8.90% | 11.90% | 12.10% | 13.20% | 88.60% |
| Rhone-Alps | 7.90% | 9.00% | 9.80% | 10.60% | 11.90% | 50.60% |
| [France] | 8.50% | 10.10% | 11.90% | 13.10% | 14.50% | 70.60% |
NOTABLE DIFFERENCES BY AGE IN FRANCE
The distribution of obesity between 1997 and 2009 in France is as follows:
STATISTICS CONCERNING ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS
In the 2006 sample, the prevalence of hypertension (Hypertension) was 16.9%. This value increased by almost 9% to reach 18.4% in 2009. According to the ObÉpi-Roche 2009 survey, overweight people have a 2.5x higher risk of being treated for hypertension. This risk is even multiplied by 4 in obese people, whose BMI is greater than 30.
Regarding smoking, in 2009 the representative sample of the French population shows 18.6% of smokers. A figure significantly down since three years earlier the number of smokers was 19.1%.