According to the latest NHS National Child Measurement Programme data, the percentage of Reception pupils age four and five classed as obese increased from 9.2 per cent in 2022/23 to 9.6 per cent in 2023/24. Boys were more likely to be obese than girls.
They also reveal that children living in the most deprived areas are over twice as likely to be obese than those in living in the least deprived areas.
Severe obesity was almost four times as high among Reception children living in the most deprived areas (4.1 per cent) as among Reception children living in the least deprived areas (1.1 per cent).
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) argued that progress on childhood obesity cannot be achieved without addressing ‘out-of-control’ rates of childhood poverty and deprivation.
It called on the Government to publish the new child poverty strategy, expand free school meals and commit to scrapping the two-child limit to benefit payments.
June O’Sullivan, chief executive of the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), said she sees ‘firsthand the grim reality of how child obesity affects children and their families’.
She explained, ‘Despite various interventions, it's alarming that severe obesity rates have doubled, with serious implications for children’s health and well-being. With the Government's latest budget now in place, we urge them to allocate funds from new taxes toward the early years sector, enabling us to train more chefs to prepare healthier meals and to educate both staff and children about good nutrition.’
Professor Simon Kenny, NHS England’s national clinical director for children and young People, said, ‘These latest figures continue to concern me. ‘Obesity can have a major impact on a child’s life – it affects every organ in the body and is effectively a ticking health timebomb for the future by increasing a child’s risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, mental health issues and many other illnesses. ‘The NHS is committed to helping young people and families affected by extreme weight issues. ‘But the NHS cannot solve this alone and continued action from industry, local and national government, and wider society together with the NHS is essential to help create a healthy nation.’
