New National Childhood Measurement Programme data shows continued higher obesity prevalence in deprived areas

Primary school-aged boys living in England are more likely to be overweight than their female classmates, according to the latest figures from the National Child Measurement Programme (NHS Digital, 2024).

The report, published in November, found that the prevalence of obesity in reception children had increased from 9.2% in 2022/23, to 9.6% in 2023-4, including 2.6% who were severely obese.

However, the proportion of children in Year 6 who are obese has decreased from 22.7%, to 22.1% during the same period.

In both age groups, boys were more likely than girls to be overweight. In reception, 9.9% of boys were obese, compared with 9.4% of girls, while in Year 6 the distinction was more pronounced with obesity affecting 24.5% of boys and 19.6% of girls.

When breaking down the figure for trends in ethnicity, it was found that in both reception and Year 6, the proportion of children living with obesity was highest for Black children, 13.7% and 30.4% respectively, and lowest for Chinese children 4.4% and 13.6%.