Newly published figures from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for the school year 2012/13 show that obesity levels have “stabilised” according to Public Health England (1). Yet there’s no room for complacency – over one in five (22%) of children in Reception (age 4-5 years) are overweight or obese – this increases to a massive one in three (33%) of children in Year 6 (age 10-11 years). Obesity prevalence alone weighs in at almost one in ten (9%) of reception children, and doubles to almost one in five (19%) of Year 6 children.
The data also reveal a strong association between deprivation and obesity levels as in previous years, with twice the obesity prevalance in the most deprived children compared to the least deprived. That translates into kids with a vastly lower life expectancy, and higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers – because of the circumstances they were born into. A travesty which we have a collective responsibility to turn around.
The picture is similar in Scotland, and even worse in Wales. Almost 3 in 10 (28%) reception children in Wales were obese or overweight in 2011/12, according to the first report of the Child Measurement Programme for Wales (2). 22% of Primary 1 children were overweight or obese in 2011/12 in Scotland (3).
There are now seven years of reliable NCMP data for England, going back to 2006/07 – when this year’s ‘year six’ children were measured in reception. Sample sizes are large, with over 1 million children participating in the NCMP this year, a participation rate of 93% of eligible children (up from 80% in 2006/07). We look forward to further analysis of the data, including at local authority level, due to be published in January 2014.
These valuable datasets will not only help us to plan our future roll-out of the PhunkyFoods Programme in areas of greatest health inequalities, but they will also help us to raise public awareness of the need to support schoolchildren, their families and communities to make lasting healthy lifestyle changes.
References/links:
1. The Health and Social Care Information Centre (2013) National Child Measurement Programme, England, 2012/13 School Year http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13115
2. Public Health Wales NHS Trust (2013) Child Measurement Programme for Wales Report 2011/12 http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/888/child%20measurement%20report%20(eng).pdf
3. NHSScotland Information Services Division Scotland (2013) Primary 1 Body Mass Index (BMI) Statistics School Year 2011/12 http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Child-Health/Publications/2013-04-30/2013-04-30-P1-BMI-Report.pdf
