One in Five Children 'Obese by 11'

One in five children born in the UK after the millennium was obese by the age of 11.

That’s according to the latest evidence from a long-term study.

It's prompted calls for mums-to-be in Leeds to start thinking about their child's diet - before they're even born:

“If you’re eating correctly during pregnancy it can have an impact on your child’s weight later on, and also on the pregnancy outcome,” says Elizabeth Cooper , who runs the website Yorkshire Nutrition.

“So it lowers the risk of gestational diabetes and that kind of thing. You’re a role model as well so you can carry on that diet afterwards. They’re going to see you doing that and they’ll follow you.”

Researchers also said there is a clear link'' between children's weight at age 11 and their parents' level of education.

A quarter of boys and girls whose parents had no educational

qualifications were obese compared to 15 percent of children who had at least one parent with a degree.

The data also found that children with overweight mothers were more likely to also be overweight, suggesting that children are copying their behaviour.

Despite all of this, a survey's found 40 per cent of health care professionals in our region don't offer advice on weight management during pregnancy.

“Eating enough essential fats is really important for the baby’s cognitive development,” says Elizabeth.

“Refining carbohydrates and reducing all those things like sugar and trans fats that you find in crisps, cakes and biscuits, can have a massive impact on the quality of the sperm and the egg and the pregnancy outcome.”

Children who are overweight or obese face an increased risk of health problems like asthma, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

It’s also associated with psychological problems such as low self-esteem and depression.

Those who were obese at age 11 were less likely than other children to be completely happy'' with the way they looked, the researchers found.