Diet & Weight - Data
Consultations
Diet and weight
How many people are overweight in Midlothian
- 58% of the Lothian's population is estimated to be overweight (65% in Scotland).
- 24% of adults in Midlothian are obese (29% in Scotland)
- 34% of adults in Midlothian are overweight (36% in Scotland)
Diet
The Scottish Health Survey, which is a self-reporting national survey involving a modest number of Midlothian residents reported:
- 23% of people report that they eat at least 5 portions a day in Midlothian for the period 2016-2019. This proportion has remained relatively stable since 2003 and is higher than the Scottish average (22%), but lower than the Lothian average (29%).
- 19% of men and 25% of women eat the required portions in Midlothian, compared to Scottish figures of (20% men, 24% women) and Lothian figures of (25% men, 33% women).
Data source: Lothian Public Health Survey 2023
Food insecurity
Food insecurity is the inability to acquire or consume an adequate quality or enough food in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so.
14% of adults worried about running out of food in the last 12 months (Scottish Health Survey 2023). Younger adults were more likely to experience food insecurity than older adults with 20% of those aged 16-44 having worried about running out of food compared with 5% of those aged 65 and over. There were not significant differences between males and females experience of food insecurity.
In June 2023 the Trussell Trust published a report on Hunger in the UK.
- 69% of people referred to their food banks are disabled, compared to 26% across the general population.
- working aged people are overrepresented among those referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network.
- 89% of people referred to their food banks are in receipt of means tested benefits.
- 46% of people referred to their food banks live in social housing.
Page updated: February 2026