Almost half of children in parts of England are fat by the time they reach secondary school, official figures show.
Forty-seven percent of year 6 pupils in Knowsley, Merseyside, are overweight or obese – almost twice the rate in greenbelt areas such as Surrey and Richmond-upon-Thames.
Nationally, the figure is over a third, despite having fallen slightly since the start of the corona crisis.
Waistlines also shrank among children in care, with the proportion of young people considered overweight falling from record highs from the first year of the pandemic.
Leading experts welcomed the downward trend, but warned that a ‘shocking gap’ remains between the richest and poorest children.
More than a million children had their height and weight measured under the National Child Measurement Program (NCMP). Nationally, the rate among children in the sixth form is over a third, despite having fallen slightly since the start of Covid. Waistlines also shrank among children in care, with the proportion of young people considered overweight falling from record highs from the first year of the pandemic
Among year 6 pupils, the national prevalence of obesity fell from 23.4 per cent in 2021/2022 to 22.7 per cent. Meanwhile, the proportion of children considered overweight or obese also fell from 37.8 percent to 36.6 percent. Both measures are above pre-pandemic levels. Forty-seven percent of year 6 pupils in Knowsley, Merseyside, are overweight or obese – almost twice the rate in greenbelt areas such as Surrey and Richmond-upon-Thames
Statistics from NHS Digital also show that 9.2 per cent of children in care were considered obese in 2022/2023 – down from 10.1 per cent the year before. When the number of overweight children was also included, the proportion was 21.3 percent. Almost a third of all reception age children (30.1 per cent) were considered fat in Knowsley, followed by Newcastle upon Tyne (27.5 per cent) and Blackpool (27 per cent).
More than a million children had their height and weight measured under the National Child Measurement Program (NCMP).
Among year 6 pupils, the national prevalence of obesity fell from 23.4 per cent in 2021/2022 to 22.7 per cent.
Meanwhile, the proportion of children considered overweight or obese also fell from 37.8 percent to 36.6 percent.
Both measures are above pre-pandemic levels.
Data broken down by local authority showed that 47.2 per cent of sixth form pupils in Knowsley were overweight or obese.
This was followed by the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Newham with 45.7 and 45.5 percent respectively.
Rates were 24.9 per cent in Surrey and 25.1 per cent in Richmond-upon-Thames.
Statistics from NHS Digital also show that 9.2 per cent of children in care were considered obese in 2022/2023 – down from 10.1 per cent the year before.
When the number of overweight children was also included, the proportion was 21.3 percent.
This was 1 percentage point lower than last year.
Almost a third of all reception age children (30.1 per cent) were considered fat in Knowsley, followed by Newcastle upon Tyne (27.5 per cent) and Blackpool (27 per cent).
By comparison, in Wokingham only 14.4 percent were overweight or obese.
Katharine Jenner, director of The Obesity Health Alliance, said the small fall in childhood obesity and overweight rates was “welcome” but called the gap in deprivation “shocking”.
She told MailOnline: ‘All children have the right to grow up healthy, regardless of their circumstances and where they live.
‘It is welcome that fewer overweight children are entering primary school than before the pandemic, but more children are still leaving primary school at a healthy weight than ever before.
‘These new figures show that there is still a shocking divide between the haves and the have nots, with the number of children over a healthy weight still twice as high in the poorest areas compared to the richest.’
Tam Fry, chair of the National Obesity Forum, added: ‘Any report showing a decline in childhood obesity is encouraging, but it will take two or three similar reports before breaking out the champagne to see a sustained decline to celebrate.’
He told MailOnline: ‘Ironically, the cost of living crisis, with food becoming less available to tens of thousands of children, may well have a lot to do with the decline.’
David Fothergill, from the Local Government Association, meanwhile, said: ‘We are encouraged to see a decline in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children.
‘However, these data do highlight some areas of concern.
‘Children living in the most deprived areas are more than twice as likely to be obese than children living in the least deprived areas.’
John Maingay, director of policy and public affairs at the British Heart Foundation, added: ‘Today’s figures show that childhood obesity rates are still far too high, despite some small improvements.
‘Every child deserves to grow up in the best possible health, but children living in the poorest areas are twice as likely to be overweight.
‘Children who are obese are much more likely to live with obesity as adults, which means a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
“The government must act quickly and implement its delayed plans to limit the marketing of junk food to children, and it must incentivize companies to produce healthier food.”
Childhood obesity has been a growing problem for years, with easy access to fast food, increased screen time and sedentary lifestyles behind rising rates in Britain.
The NCMP, responsible for the current data, was established in 2006 in state-funded schools in England and is considered a key element in the government’s fight against childhood obesity.
Other measures the country has taken to tackle the crisis include levies on the soft drinks industry, creating clearer food labeling and introducing a plan to ensure equal access and quality of physical education and sports in schools to improve.
The NCMP measures children’s height and weight, which are then used to generate a Body Mass Index.
This is compared to a national scale to determine whether the child is underweight, normal, overweight or obese.
But earlier this year, researchers from Queen Mary University of London warned that the program could do more harm than good and possibly encourage eating disorders in children.
Parents of skinny children have even complained about their children being wrongly labeled as fat.
It comes as the World Health Organization also revealed earlier this year that 37 million children under the age of five are now overweight worldwide – four million more than at the turn of the century.
Australia ranks second in the table of 198 countries, with 21.8 percent of children there considered overweight.
Britain ranked 22nd (11.3 percent), while the US claimed 52nd place (7.9 percent).
The WHO warned that obesity worldwide is “heading in the wrong direction” and “shows no immediate sign of returning.”
Obesity not only increases waist size, but also healthcare costs, with the NHS estimated to spend £6.1 billion annually on treating weight-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
It is also believed to be responsible for more than 30,000 deaths a year in Britain, according to the British Heart Foundation.