One in five children obese leaving primary school
BBC News | Health | 26 November 2015
One in 10 children was obese at the start primary school in England last year but one in five was obese by the end, according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Although figures for Reception children have fallen slightly, the figures for obesity in Year 6 are on the rise.
Children living in the most deprived areas were twice as likely to be obese as children in affluent areas.
Campaigners said the figures should act as a wake-up call.
The figures for 2014-15 come from the government’s National Child Measurement Programme for England which covers all state primary schools.
By measuring children’s weight and height and calculating their BMI (body mass index) centile, they can be put into one of four categories: underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese.
Among children aged four and five in Reception year, 9.1% were classified as obese – compared with 9.5% in 2013-14 and 9.9% in 2006-07, when records began.
In Year 6, 19.1% of children were obese – an increase on figures from eight years ago.
