Northamptonshire's Schoolchildren Are Getting Thinner

Number of obese children are falling

Children in the county are getting thinner

Schoolchildren in Northamptonshire are getting thinner, new data has revealed.

Welcoming new figures released this week show how more reception class and Year 6 children are getting thinner year-on-year.

According to the latest figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), 16.7 per cent of Year 6 pupils,

aged 10 to 11, in Northamptonshire are now classed clinically obese - down from 17.3 per cent the previous year.

Among reception class pupils, aged four to five, the obesity

figure drops to 8.7 per cent - a small drop on 8.8 per cent the

year before.

These figures for the academic year 2013-14 were from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), in which

more than 15,000 youngsters across the county were measured for their Body Mass Index (BMI).

Nationally, the report also looked at the number of children

which are obese in deprived areas and the least deprived areas

of the country.

The figures show that on average, twice as many children (24.7 per cent) are obese in deprived areas, compared to those living

in affluent parts of the country (13.1 per cent).

Eustace de Sousa, National Lead for Children, Young People

and Families at Public Health England, said: “It is deeply concerning that there is an actual doubling of child obesity

rates from reception to the end of primary school, and that

children from low income households are significantly more

likely to be overweight or obese.

“We know that over a third of children leaving primary school

are overweight or obese which makes them much more likely

to be overweight or obese as adults and considerably increases their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other serious

health problems.”

Source:- http://www.northampton-news-hp.co.uk/8203-Northamptonshire-s-schoolchildren-getting/story-25114949-detail/story.html