Over 18,000 Year 6 children in the South East classified as obese post pandemic
Just over one in five boys in Year 6 are also classified as obese.
New statistics show that obesity rates for children in Year 6 have risen in the South East.
The Government report, analysed by the local eating disorder experts at the UK Addiction Treatment Group, shows that in the South East, 15,310 Year 6 children were classed as obese in 2019/20, before the Covid-pandemic hit.
"Preventing obesity starts with education"
This equated to an average 17% of children measured that year who were obese.
New figures show this count has rocketed by 21% to 18,600 Year 6 children classified as obese in 2021/22, averaging out at 20% of those measured being obese.
The majority of obese Year 6 children in the South East are boys - 8,695 in 2019/20 rising to 10,760 in 2021/22.
As it stands, 22%, or over one in five of Year 6 boys in the South East are obese.
The new initiative launched by the NHS is backed by £18 million over the next two years, and will double the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan to introduce 15 new obesity clinics in England.
Claire Havey is from the Uk Addiction Treatment Group. She said that the issue needs to be handled carefully.
"Ultimately, preventing obesity starts with education, for both the child and the parent - as it will likely be the parents who are the primary providers of what the child is eating on a daily basis."
"It's so important to work with extreme caution when it comes to a child with obesity, because the end goal should not be that the child is at risk of developing an eating disorder or a body dysmorphic disorder."