Childhood Obesity Rate Increases in England

04 Nov --- The childhood obesity rate has increased YOY among school children in England, according to the National Child Measurement Program, published by NHS Digital. The report also highlights significant differences between the weight of children living and attending schools in deprived and non-deprived areas.

The National Child Measurement Program measures the height and weight of over one million children in England annually and provides robust data on which reception and year 6 children are underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese.

According to the report, the 9.1 percent of reception children who were obese in 2014-15 has risen to 9.3 percent in 2015-16, while the 19.1 percent of obese year 6 children has risen to 19.8 percent.

The figures also show that obesity prevalence is more than twice as high for children in year 6 (19.8 per cent) compared to reception (9.3 per cent).

Furthermore, the 2015-16 figures suggest that more than one in three children in year 6 was either overweight or obese, while more than one in five children was overweight or obese in reception year.

Regional data revealed interesting patterns about children living in deprived and non-deprived areas. The obesity prevalence for children in reception living in the most deprived areas was 12.5 percent, more than double that of those living in the least deprived areas, 5.5 percent.

The same trend was seen with children in year 6, with 26.0 percent of those living in the most deprived areas obese compared to 11.7 percent in the least deprived areas.

The report also showed that the difference in obesity prevalence between children attending schools in the most and least deprived areas has increased over time. In 2015-16 the difference for reception children was 6.2 percentage points, compared to 4.6 percentage points in 2007-08, and the equivalent figures for year 6 were 12.4 in 2015-16 and 8.9 percentage points in 2007-08.

Responsible statistician, Paul Niblett, said: "This report is a valuable source of information for parents, policy makers and health professionals and these findings show where improvements to children's health can be made."