AbstractObjectiveStudies of the relationship between obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in nationally representative population samples are limited. Our study aimed to determine if overweight and obesity were independently associated with the risk for CKD in the 2010 Health Survey for England (HSE).DesignThe HSE is an annually conducted cross-sectional study. In 2010 serum creatinine was included to determine the incidence of CKD in the population. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min per 1·73 m² using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) formula. Multivariable logistic regression models were developed to calculate odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals for CKD risk by BMI (reference category: BMI=18·5–24·9 kg/m²) and adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, smoking, diabetes and hypertension.SettingA random sample of nationally representative households in England.SubjectsAdults (n 3463) with calculable eGFR and BMI were included.ResultsThe prevalence of CKD was 5·9 %. The risk of CKD was over 2·5 times higher in obese participants compared with normal-weight participants in the fully adjusted model (BMI=30·0–39·9 kg/m²: adjusted OR=2·78 (95 % CI 1·75, 4·43); BMI ≥ 40·0 kg/m²: adjusted OR=2·68 (95 % CI 1·05, 6·85)).ConclusionsObesity is associated with an increased risk of CKD in a national sample of the UK population, even after adjustment for known CKD risk factors, which may have implications for CKD screening and future national health service planning and delivery.