More than half of adults in Oxfordshire are classed as overweight or obese.

The annual report from the county’s director of public health, Dr Jonathan McWilliam, showed 55 per cent of adults were classed as overweight or obese in 2014/15.

The report also said 17 per cent of children were overweight or obese – an increase of just under two percentage points from last year.

The figures are lower than the English averages, with adult obesity standing at 64 per cent and child obesity at 19 per cent.

But in Oxford, 21 per cent of children are overweight or obese, two per cent above the national average.

An adult is defined as overweight or obese if their body mass index (BMI) is 25kg per metre squared or above (a BMI of 25).

This is worked out by dividing an adult’s weight in kilograms by their height in metres and then dividing the answer by their height again.

A healthy BMI for adults is between 18.5 and 24.9.

Children’s BMI is calculated differently and is normally done by a health professional, who takes into account their weight in relation to their height, age and sex.