Nearly a third of Wiltshire's primary leavers overweight

Data from the Government shows a rise in childhood obesity locally over the last year.

Author: Faye TryhornPublished 1st Nov 2020

NHS Digital has released the figures, from the Government's annual National Child Measurement Programme.

That tracks the height and weight of Year 6 and reception-age children in state schools, to track obesity trends.

The latest details show 31.3% of Wiltshire's primary school leavers in 2019-20 were classed as overweight - up from 28% last year.

Within those figures, 17.3% of Year 6s were obese, with 3.7% severely obese in the last school year - and increase from 15% and 3% respectively from the year before.

Health professionals have raised concerns about the increasing number of children leaving primary, classed as overweight

Professor Rachel Batterham, special adviser on obesity for the Royal College of GPs, said the impact of deprivation on childhood obesity rates nationally is "alarming":

"Access to healthy food should be a right and not a privilege.

"The gap in obesity prevalence between children from the most deprived and least deprived areas is stark and growing.

"It is clear that socio-economic factors such as under-employment or poverty play a key role in driving obesity and poor health, and that a whole-government approach is critical in order to reduce health inequalities and obesity rates."

The Royal College of GPs says access to healthy food should be a 'right, not a privilege'

Across England, 21% of Year 6 children were classed as obese.

Caroline Cerny, alliance lead at Obesity Health Alliance, said:

"These results are not good news for child health. In a year when public health has been propelled to the forefront of politics, we now need action on child health - not just words.

"Taking junk food out of the spotlight through restrictions on marketing and promotions, including the long overdue 9pm watershed on junk food adverts, should be the first step.

"The sooner action is taken, the sooner we can give all children the chance to grow up healthy."