Growing problem of overweight children reaches record levels

A record number of youngsters are leaving school severely obese.

That’s according to new figures from Public Health England which show more than 22,000 children nationwide are extremely overweight - the highest level since records began.

The analysis also revealed more deprived areas have a much higher rate of overweight and obese children, compared to well-off areas.

Children in year six - aged 10 and 11 - have their height and weight measured and Body Mass Index (BMI) calculated as part of The National Child Measurement Programme, which determines whether the child is overweight.

Children are described as severely obese if they are above the 99.6th percentile on growth charts from 1990, which were based on typical measurements at the time.

In Maidstone, almost a third (31.7%) of year six pupils are described as overweight or obese, though this figure was down on 32.3% the previous year.

The government recently announced the second chapter of its Childhood Obesity Plan to help halve childhood obesity by 2030 by including mandatory calorie labelling on menus and tighter restrictions on junk food adverts.

These measures will go out for consultation later this year.

Public Health England’s chief nutritionist Dr Alison Tedstone said: “These trends are extremely worrying and have been decades in the making – reversing them will not happen overnight.”

Joe Irvin, chief executive of Living Streets, which encourages everyday walking, added: “All schools should be using their recently doubled PE and Sport Premium budget – funded by the ‘sugar tax’ - on active travel initiatives which help enable and encourage more families to walk to school, reducing inactivity, congestion and air pollution.”