Almost a third of children in some parts of England are obese by the time they start secondary school, figures reveal today.
31 per cent of sixth form pupils in Knowsley, Merseyside, are classed as obese, more than double the levels recorded in leafy areas such as Surrey and Richmond-upon-Thames.
Nationally, the rate stands at more than a fifth, a slight drop from last year but still higher than the figure recorded before the pandemic.
Waistlines also increased among foster children: the proportion of four- and five-year-olds considered obese reached one in ten.
Health officials today branded the figures “worrying” and warned that the NHS “cannot solve” Britain’s childhood obesity crisis “alone”.
The figures come from the National Child Measurement Program (NCMP), which involves measuring the height and weight of more than a million children each year.
The obesity rate among children aged 10 to 11 fell to 22.1 percent in 2023/34 from 22.7 percent in 2022/23.
Meanwhile, the proportion of young people considered overweight or obese also decreased, from 36.6 percent to 35.8. Both measures are above pre-pandemic levels.
But when broken down by local authority, the data showed that 30.7 per cent of sixth form pupils were obese in Knowsley.
Wolverhampton and the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham followed with rates of 30.2 and 29.5 per cent respectively.
In comparison, the figure stood at 13.8 per cent in both Richmond-upon-Thames and Wokingham and 14.3 per cent in Surrey.
Among children in care, 9.6 per cent were considered obese in 2022/23, up from 9.2 per cent the previous year, according to NHS Digital.
If the number of people considered overweight is also included, the proportion stood at 22.1 percent.
This represented an increase of 0.8 percent from the previous year.
One in seven four and five-year-old children of foster age (14.1 per cent) were considered obese in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, the worst affected areas.
They were followed by Sandwell (13.5 per cent) and Blackpool (13.4 per cent).
More than one million children have had their height and weight measured under the National Child Measurement Program (NCMP). Nationally, the rate among Year 6 children stands at more than a third, despite having fallen slightly since Covid began.
In comparison, only 5.5 per cent were obese in Wokingham and 6.4 per cent in Cambridgeshire.
Childhood obesity has been a growing problem for years, with easy access to fast food, more screen time and sedentary lifestyles blamed for skyrocketing rates in some parts of the UK.
The NCMP was established in state-funded schools in England in 2006 and was seen as a key element of the previous government’s war on childhood obesity.
It measures children’s height and weight which is then used to generate a body mass index.
This is compared to a national scale to determine whether that child is underweight, normal, overweight or obese.
But in 2022, researchers at Queen Mary University of London warned that the program could do more harm than good and potentially encourage eating disorders in children.
Parents of thin children have even complained that their children are wrongly labeled as fat.
Professor Simon Kenny, national clinical director for children and young people at NHS England, said today: “These latest figures continue to worry me as they show almost one in ten children are classed as obese in their first year of school. “.
“Obesity can have a major impact on a child’s life: it affects every organ in the body and is effectively a time bomb for future health, increasing a child’s risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, mental health problems and many other illnesses.
‘The NHS is committed to helping young people and families affected by extreme weight problems with tailored packages of physical, psychological and social support, including our 30 specialist weight loss clinics across the country to ensure all children can access support if they need it. he.
“But the NHS cannot solve this alone and continued action from industry, local and national governments and wider society alongside the NHS is essential to help create a healthy nation.”
Labor ministers have pledged to introduce strict restrictions on junk food advertising, along with banning children from buying sugary and highly caffeinated energy drinks.
The Local Government Association said today that money raised from the soft drinks sugar tax should go to areas with higher levels of deprivation, childhood obesity and tooth decay.
He said the tax has raised £1.9bn since its introduction in 2018, “however councils are increasingly concerned about where the money is being spent”.
It also wants the tax to be extended to include milk-based drinks such as high-sugar smoothies and coffees, as well as high-sugar items such as cakes, biscuits and chocolate.
This comes as the World Health Organization also revealed last year that 37 million children under five are overweight worldwide, four million more than at the start of the century.
Australia came second in the table of 198 countries, with 21.8 per cent of children classified as overweight.
Britain ranked 22nd (11.3 percent), while the United States ranked 52nd (7.9 percent).
Obesity not only increases waistlines but also healthcare costs: the NHS spends around £6.1bn a year treating weight-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.