Three in 10 are obese in city’s schools, shock figures show
YEAR 6 PUPIL WEIGHED ALMOST 14ST TOP 10 WORST PLACES FOR OBESE CHILDREN IN TYNE AND WEAR
AS MANY as three in 10 primary school children in some areas of Newcastle are classed as obese, worrying new figures have revealed.
Data from Public Health England released this week has laid bare the extent of childhood obesity in Tyne and Wear.
The council ward areas with the highest rate of obese children were Blakelaw and Elswick, where 31.6% in Year 6 are classed as obese – the highest rate in Tyne and Wear, and one of the highest in England.
Around a further 40% of 10- and 11-year-olds in both areas are considered overweight, meaning that in total nearly three in every four children there are heavier than they should be.
Parklands, also in Newcastle, had the lowest proportion of extremely overweight children in Tyne and Wear.
Just 10% of Year 6 pupils in the area were classed as obese – although a further 27% were still considered to have excess weight.
When it came to younger children, Benwell and Scotswood has the highest proportion of obese kids of Reception age in the region.
One in every six children aged four and five in the area (16%) are classed as obese, while close to a further one in three (30%) are overweight.
In Parklands, on the other hand, just five per cent of children in Reception are obese and 15% are considered overweight.
Across the country, nearly one in three Reception children (32%) are overweight or obese, while more than half of all Year 6 pupils are.
Obesity problems in the region led to a Year 6 pupil weighing in at almost 14st last year – one of just eight children in England found to have a BMI of 40 or more.
The NHS-led National Child Measurement Programme found at least 31 children in the North East who are potentially ‘morbidly obese’, about 6% of all the cases found in England.
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “We acknowledge these statistics from Public Health England and continue to provide services across the city which are designed to help families remain healthy and maintain a healthy weight.
“Our Healthy Child Programme, which is provided by health visitors and school nurses, is available across the city and plays a key role in the identification of children who may be an unhealthy weight and provides these families with information, advice and support.
“There are also services, including breastfeeding support, weaning advice and healthy eating courses available in Community Family hubs across the city, along with a targeted, multi-agency Change4Life programme which covers healthy eating, cooking skills and physical activity.
“Our partners Active Newcastle offer a range or programmes and projects which can support families to move more and programmes such as Cycling in the City have helped to embed healthy infrastructure across Newcastle.
“This work also links in with our plans and consultations for developing and managing the city’s parks.
“Although these statistics highlight specific wards in the City we aim to create services that can be accessed by all families who need advice and support regarding diet and physical activity. With this in mind we are currently undertaking a review of services for our families to ensure they are suitable.”