The National Child Measurement Programme 1, 2019-20 provides data on the heights and weights of children in Reception and Year 6 in England during the 2019-20 school year and provides data on the number of children who are underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obese or severely obese. View the full range of ‘All Our Health’topics. Current estimates suggest that that nearly a third of children aged 2 to 15 in the UK are overweight or obese. Another recent study says that the current obesity levels that are prevalent today are three times of what was prevalent during the 1980’s. Key points The UK is currently facing a childhood obesity epidemic, with almost 1 in 5 children leaving primary During then a significantly small number of just 6% men and 8% women were reported to be obese. • government action to reduce childhood obesity (Part Two); and In Year 6, 23.6% of boys were obese compared to 18.4% of girls. The national slide set also includes data from the Health Survey for England. In 2015/2016, 40% of children in England’s most deprived areas were overweight or obese, compared to 27% in the most affluent areas. Worldwide, over 41 million The UK is the most obese country in western Europe, and the 11th most obese in the world.. Obesity statistics in the UK continue to rise as it is now estimated that 60% of the population are classed as overweight. In 2018/19, nearly one tenth of 4 to 5 year olds and more than one fifth of 10 to 11 year olds were classified obese. Diet among adults and children, including trends in purchases, and consumption of food and drink and energy intake. This guide is part of ‘All Our Health’, a resource that helps health professionals prevent ill health and promote wellbeing as part of their everyday practice. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Obesity costs the NHS £4.2 billion a year and without urgent and radical action, this will rise to £10 billion a year by 2050. For reception it remained similar at 9.5% in 2017/18 1. Prevalence of severe obesity among children in Year 6 has shown an increase from 3.2… Data on obesity, physical activity and diet from a variety of sources Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet, England - 2020 [NS] - GOV.UK Skip to main content As deprivation increases the number of children at a healthy weight decreases, and the number of children measured as overweight or obese increases. The Department runs the Childhood Obesity Programme (the programme) to oversee the delivery of the actions set out in the plan. Concerns about public spending and conduct, Report - Childhood obesity (pdf - 2.11 MB), Summary -Childhood obesity (pdf - 129.78 KB), ePub - Childhood obesity (epub - 2.34 MB), Accessible figures - Childhood obesity (xlsx - 24.40 KB), Childhood obesity interactive data visualisation, Supporting disadvantaged families through free early education and childcare entitlements in England, Investigation into pre-school vaccinations, Modern slavery Act transparency statement. We have focused on children as dealing with obesity early in life prevents future costs and obesity-related health problems. Prevalence of child obesity and excess weight varies across England. You can change your cookie settings at any time. The latest annual figures on childhood obesity in England have been released by NHS Digital. In England, an estimated 16% of children aged 2-15 were obese in 2016, and a further 12% were overweight (but not obese). Governments, international partners, civil society, NGOs and the private sector have vital roles to play in shaping healthy environments and making healthier diet options for children and adolescents affordable, and easily accessible. (WHO, 2017) It’s estimated that 25% of boys and girl under 20 will be obese in 2050. At age 10-11 (year 6), 21.0% are obese and 14.1% overweight. The plan aimed to significantly reduce England’s rate of childhood obesity over the next 10 years. To read more Trends in child overweight and obesity are shown and patterns are examined by age, sex, ethnic group, and area deprivation. 9,10,11 Children who are obese are also more likely to suffer from psychological problems, In England alone apart from the 24.9% of purely obese patients, another significant percentage number of 61.7% are either obese or overweight. An Independent Report by the Chief Medical Officer, 2019 page 3Time to Solve Childhood Obesity Progress under the voluntary reformulation programme, overseen by Public Health England, has We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. In England 9.6% of children in Reception were obese in the period 2016 to 2017 up to 2018 to 2019, varying from 4.8% to 13.8% at lower tier local authority level. This report examines the effectiveness of the government’s approach to reducing childhood obesity in England by considering the evidence base and progress so far. Severe obesity has hit an all-time high among children in England in their last year of primary school, a government report has found. The prevalence of obesity has increased in Year 6 schoolchildren from 20% in 2016-17 to 20.1% in 2017-18, according to official statistics published by NHS Digital today. Time to Solve Childhood Obesity. Published 26 February 2020 … That means 28% of 2-15 year olds were overweight or obese—so just over a quarter. Progress with the programme has been slow and many commitments are not yet in place, although the new strategy announced in July 2020 has signalled new legislation and greater willingness to act to reduce obesity. 29% of girls were estimated to be overweight or obese, and 26% of boys were. Slide sets presenting the latest data on child obesity in England and the 9 English regions. These children and young people are becoming obese at • We set out our audit approach in Appendix One and evidence base in Appendix Two. This report examines the effectiveness of the government’s approach to reducing childhood obesity in England. The UK has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe. While the Department’s programme aims to tackle this issue, it is not yet clear that the actions within the programme are the right ones to make the step-change needed in the timescale available. of childhood obesity, in the UK. Curbing the childhood obesity epidemic requires sustained political commitment and the collaboration of many public and private stakeholders. Childhood obesity prevalence. In 2016, it published the first chapter of a new childhood obesity plan (the plan). Childhood obesity has been a concern for a number of years as the condition can lead to type 2 diabetes. In addition, being an obese child can have long-term health consequences, as childhood obesity is a strong predictor of adult obesity. Governments have been grappling with childhood obesity since the 2000s, with limited success. Childhood obesity rates in the UK are to continue to spiral over the next five years, a damning report has found. Childhood obesity: Time for action 51 IntroductionThe problem 1. Public Health England has said that the number of children with an unhealthy and potentially dangerous weight is a “national public health concern”. Obesity in childhood is directly associated with various health conditions, including asthma 5,6 , early onset type-2 diabetes 7,8 , and cardiovascular risk-factors. We estimate that In 2018, around one in 10 children aged four to five were classified as obese, and around one in five children aged 10 to 11 were. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Children are classed as severely obese if their body mass index (BMI) is on or above the 99.6th centile of the British 1990 (UK90) growth reference. This statistic displays the prevalence of childhood obesity* in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1975 to 2016, by gender. The prevalence of obesity has increased in year 6 from 20.0% in 2016/17 to 20.1% in 2017/18. Governments have been grappling with childhood obesity since the 2000s, with limited success. Susan Jebb in her recent study concluded at th… We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve government services. Physical activity levels among adults and children. Childhood Obesity Statistics Statistics from the most recent large-scale survey in the UK shockingly reveal that 25 percent of boys and 33 percent of girls aged between two and 19 years are overweight or obese – and there’s little sign the incidence is slowing. Analysis of national1 and local authority2data shows that children resident in the most deprived areas in England are at the highest risk of being overweight and obese. All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, Patterns and trends in child obesity: national and regional data, National child measurement programme (NCMP): trends in child BMI between 2006 to 2007 and 2018 to 2019, Mental health data and analysis: a guide for health professionals, Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support, Transparency and freedom of information releases. In 2016, the government launched Childhood obesity: a plan for action , which set out a number of actions primarily focused on reducing sugar consumption and increasing physical activity among children. Among children in Year 6 in England 20.1% were obese in the period 2016 to 2017 up to 2018 to 2019, varying from 10… In its latest forecast, Public Health … 9,10,11 Children who are obese are also more likely to suffer from psychological problems, There is also a strong relationship between deprivation and overweight/obesity prevalence. We estimate that roughly 1.4 million children aged from 2 to 15 years old were classified obese in 2018. Childhood obesity in England 9.9% of reception age children (age 4-5) are obese, with a further 13.1% overweight. 1 Governments have tried to tackle childhood obesity, but with limited success. https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/national-child-measurement-programme/data#page/13/. Not only is obesity increasing for 10 to 11 year olds, it is increasing even faster for children in deprived areas. The Department of Health & Social Care (the Department) is responsible for setting and overseeing obesity policy in England. What are the other figures surrounding obesity and how can lose weight to benefit your health? You’ve accepted all cookies. Sector(s): Children and families, Health and social care, Department(s): Department of Health and Social Care. The information below will help frontline health and care staff use their trusted relationships with patients, families and communities to promote the benefits of a healthier weight and reduce childhood obesity. Over a longer time period, obesity prevalence is lower for reception compared to Childhood cancer survival in England: Children diagnosed from 1990 to 2009 and followed up to 2014 (experimental statistics) Statistical bulletin | Released on 15 January 2016 Long-term trends in the number of children (aged 0 to 14) surviving cancer 5 years after diagnosis. This equates to 116,000 children being obese in 2017-18. Obesity in childhood is directly associated with various health conditions, including asthma 5,6 , early onset type-2 diabetes 7,8 , and cardiovascular risk-factors. Childhood Obesity in the England Prevalence of childhood obesity by males and by females was 12.7% and 10.2% respectively in 2016. This data is gathered as part of the National Child Measurement Programme. Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. ISBN: 9781786043313 [Buy a hard copy of this report]. We estimate that roughly 1.4 million children aged between 2 and 15 were classified as obese in 2018. The government will need to act with greater urgency, commitment, co-ordination and cohesion if it is to address this severe risk to health and value for money. Local authorities are responsible for improving the health of their local population and for delivering public health services, including reducing childhood obesity. We have also focused on preventive measures rather than treatment. Childhood obesity rates since 2015 Freedom of Information | Released on 1 December 2020 Child abuse in England and Wales: March 2020 (Latest release) Statistical bulletin | Released on 5 … Contact details: Childhood.Obesity@dh.gsi.gov.uk You may re-use the text of this document (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. The report, released Thursday by the UK… Trends in child overweight and obesity are shown and patterns are examined by age, sex, ethnic group, and area deprivation. The second chapter of the plan was published in 2018 and aimed to halve childhood obesity and reduce the gap in obesity between children from the most and least deprived areas by 2030. • local authorities’ role in reducing childhood obesity (Part Three). To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. We use cookies to collect information about how you use GOV.UK. The government estimates that the cost of obesity to the NHS is £6.1 billion and £27 billion to wider society. This can be regarded as an update to the 2003 POSTnote (#205), and a contribution to POST’s current work (‘causes of obesity’). The report sets out: • levels and trends in childhood obesity (Part One); Several other government departments lead individual projects within the programme. These slide sets present the latest data on child obesity from the National Child Measurement Programme. The guide also recommends important actions that managers and staff holding strategic roles can take. This update shows: 1. in 2017 to 2018 2.4% of children in Reception (aged 4 to 5 years) and 4.2% of children in Year 6 (aged 10 to 11 years) were severely obese 2. since 2006 to 2007 prevalence of severe obesity among children in Reception has remained stable at around 2.3%. 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