Half of children in some UK areas now living with overweight or obesity

The growing child obesity crisis in England has been highlighted by an interactive map showing areas where nearly half of children are living with overweight or obesity by the time they enter secondary school.

According to the latest figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, 47 per cent of Year 6 pupils in Knowsley, Merseyside, are classified as either overweight or obese. This is almost double the levels seen in more affluent areas such as Surrey and Richmond-upon-Thames, where the figures are around 25 per cent.

Experts have labeled this stark disparity a “postcode lottery,” warning that the UK is gripped by a widespread childhood obesity crisis. Nationally, over a third of children are living with overweight or obesity, a slight improvement since the peak during the COVID-19 pandemic but still a concerning three per cent increase from 2015.

The figures come from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), which measures the height and weight of over a million children annually.

Local data reveals wide variation across England. In addition to Knowsley, the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Newham also show nearly half of Year 6 children are living with being overweight or obese. Barking and Dagenham has the highest obesity rate, with nearly a third of children aged 10 to 11 classified as obese.

In contrast, areas like Surrey and Richmond-upon-Thames report significantly lower combined rates of overweight and obesity, standing at 24.9 per cent and 25.1 per cent respectively.

Cambridge has seen one of the most alarming increases, with a 68 per cent rise in the proportion of overweight Year 6 pupils since 2015.

These figures underscore the urgent need for action to address the growing child obesity epidemic in the UK, with experts calling for targeted interventions to reduce the disparities across different regions.