Deprived four and five-year-olds twice as likely to be obese
Katy Morton
Friday, October 20, 2023
While the proportion of four- and five-year-olds classed as obese has marginally fallen, new data shows that those in deprived areas are twice as likely to be overweight.
According to the latest data from the National Child Measurement programme for England, the percentage of obese Reception children has fallen from 10.1 per cent in 2021/22 to 9.2 per cent in 2022/23.
The NHS says the proportion of children classed as obese is now falling back towards pre-pandemic levels.
Four- and five-year-olds in the most deprived areas were more than twice as likely to be obese than those in the least deprived areas, a findings which Dr Mike McKean, vice president of the Royal College for Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), called ‘unacceptable’.
The percentage of obese children in Year 6 has also fallen, however one in four children are still obese by the time they leave primary school, according to the data.
The statistics also show that the majority of children in Reception (77.5 per cent) were a healthy weight.
Labour’s shadow primary care and public health minister, Preet Kaur, said that ‘decisive action’ is needed to tackle the childhood obesity crisis.
She added, ‘It is Labour's goal for children born today to be part of the healthiest generation that ever lived. We will ensure all children get a healthy start to life, with free primary school breakfast clubs serving healthy food, an active and balanced curriculum, and bans on advertising junk food to children.’
