Doctors in alert over obesity crisis facing teenagers

MORE than one in three British teenagers is overweight or obese, a new study has found.

Researchers have found that 20 per cent of 14 year olds in the UK are obese. And a further 15 per cent were deemed to be overweight.

Leading children’s doctors said the study was further evidence of the “childhood obesity crisis” gripping Britain.

The new figures come from research conducted by experts at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at University College London (UCL).

Researchers from UCL’s Institute of Education examined data from more than 10,000 teenagers who are taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study – a study tracking the lives of thousands of youngsters born at the turn of the century.

They found varying responses from across the UK – 40 per cent of 14 year olds in Northern Ireland were overweight or obese compared to 38 per cent in Wales and 35 per cent in both Scotland and England.

Youngsters whose mothers had a low level of education were more likely to be of excess weight than those whose mothers had a degree.

Meanwhile, the authors also found differences between white and black teenagers – with 48 per cent of young black people classified as having excess weight, compared to 34.5 per cent of white adolescents.

Professor Emla Fitzsimons, co-author of the study, said: “Children who are overweight or obese face an increased risk of many health problems later in life, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

“Overweight and obesity are also associated with psychological problems such as low self-esteem and depression, and with lower educational attainment. As members of the millennium generation reach early adolescence, rates of obesity and overweight remain public health concern.

“These findings show that although rates of excess weight have stabilised since age 11, there is still a worryingly high proportion of young people in this generation who are an unhealthy weight.”

Co-author Dr Benedetta Pongiglione added: “This report provides important evidence to underpin the commitment of governments across the UK to reducing levels of overweight and obesity in childhood. It will now be a vitally important to monitor whether key policies, such as the levy on soft drinks and sugar reduction across food products, has a positive impact on the health of this generation.”

Commenting on the research, Professor Mary Fewtrell, lead on nutrition at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “Data from the Millennium Cohort Study provides further evidence of the scale of the childhood obesity crisis in the UK. What’s striking is the clear link between poor education amongst parents and children’s high obesity levels.”