US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
Obesity in children aged four and five at highest level outside of pandemic
Obesity affects 10.5% of Reception children and over 20% of Year 6 children, with severe obesity rising to 2.9%, driven by poverty and reduced school sports funding.
- The National Child Measurement Programme recorded 10.5% of Reception children and 22.2% of Year 6 children as obese in England in 2024/25.
- Deprivation and ethnicity data show obesity is over twice as prevalent in the most deprived areas, with higher rates in children from black ethnic groups and underweight rates in children from Indian ethnic groups.
- Gender analysis reveals severe obesity was 2.7% for girls and 3.1% for boys in Reception and 4.5% for girls and 6.6% for boys in Year 6, totalling 5.6%.
- Across state-maintained schools, the NCMP measured about 1.1 million children, and Professor Simon Kenny warned, `These figures are extremely concerning — obesity can have a devastating impact on children's health,` while the NHS offers specialist clinics.
- Experts cautioned that additional years of data are needed to confirm a sustained rise in Reception obesity, and urged reinvestment in early years support and affordable community sport.
Insights by Ground AI
22 Articles
22 Articles
Evening Standard+14 Reposted by 14 other sources
One in 10 children in first year of primary school in England is obese
Overall, 1.1m children were measured at state-maintained schools as part of data collection.
·London, United Kingdom
Read Full Article
Bristol PostReposted by 
Get Surrey
Get Surrey22.2 per cent of children in last year of primary school are obese
One in 10 are already obese by the time they start primary school, new figures show
·Bristol, United Kingdom
Read Full ArticleCoverage Details
Total News Sources22
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center15Last UpdatedBias Distribution88% Center
Bias Distribution
- 88% of the sources are Center
88% Center
12%
C 88%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
