THE WEST Midlands has the second highest percentage of obesity levels among primary school children in England.
According to the latest NHS data, 11.3 per cent of reception-aged children and 26.2 per cent of year six-aged pupils are living with obesity in our region – the only place higher was the North East (with 11.4 and 26.6 per cent respectively).
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) – overseen by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and analysed and reported by NHS Digital – measures the height and weight of children in England. The research provides data on the number of children in reception and year six who are underweight, healthy weight, overweight, living with obesity or living with severe obesity.
The figures also show a strong link between children living with obesity and areas of deprivation.
The prevalence of reception-aged children living with obesity in England during 2021-22 was over twice as high in the most deprived areas (13.6 per cent) than in the least deprived areas (6.2 per cent).
This difference is also seen in year six children – with 31.3 per cent living with obesity in the most deprived areas compared with 13.5 per cent in the more affluent ones.
On average the 2021 to 2024 report found the number of reception-aged children living with severe obesity was over three times as high for children living in the most deprived areas, compared to more affluent areas, and that increased to being four times as high for year six-aged pupils.
The prevalence of reception-aged children living with obesity has remained stable in England since 2006/07 but saw a 4.6 per cent increase to 14.4 per cent during the pandemic years 2019/20 and 2020/21.
The latest data has seen the number decrease to 10.1 per cent but that is still 0.4 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Obesity among year six children increased slowly from 19 per cent in 2010/11 to 21 per cent in 2019/20 and then increased by 4.5 per cent in 2020/21.
The latest figures show a decrease to 23.4 per cent – 3.2 per cent above the pre-pandemic level.
And ethnicity plays a part as well – obesity among children in 2021/22 was highest for black children in both reception (16.2 per cent) and year six (33 per cent) and lowest for Chinese children (4.3 per cent and 3.3 per cent respectively).
Underweight prevalence was highest for Asian children in both reception (4.3 per cent) and year six (3.3 per cent).
