In 2019, 27 percent of boys and 20 percent of girls aged between 11 and 15 years in England were classed as obese. Additionally, in the age group two to ten years old, 15 percent of boys and eight percent of girls were obese. Prevalence among adults The prevalence of obesity among adults in England has been creeping upwards since 2000. In that year, 21 percent of men and women were classed as obese in England. However, by 2021 this share had increased to 26 percent for women and 25 percent for men. Obesity heavy on the health service The number of hospital admissions as a result of obesity in England has increased alongside the general increase in obesity. In the year 2019/20, almost 8.1 thousand women and 2.7 thousand men were admitted to hospital. A vast rise from the admission levels in 2002/03. The highest number of admissions due to obesity were found in the age group 45 to 54 years, with over 3.1 thousand admissions in that age group.

This statistic displays the share of children in England aged *** years who were classed as overweight or obese from 2007/08 to 2023/24. In 2020/21, almost ** percent of children aged *** years in England were classed as overweight or obese, the highest share in the provided time interval. In 2023/24, the share decreased to **** percent.

This statistical report presents information on obesity, physical activity and diet, drawn together from a variety of sources. The topics covered include: Obesity related hospital admissions. Prescription items for the treatment of obesity. Adult obesity prevalence. Childhood obesity prevalence. Physical activity levels among adults and children. Diet among adults and children, including trends in purchases, and consumption of food and drink and energy intake. Each section provides an overview of the key findings from these sources, as well as providing sources of further information and links to relevant documents and sources. Some of the data have been published previously by NHS Digital. A data visualisation tool at the link below allows users to select obesity related hospital admissions data for any Local Authority (as contained in Excel tables 3, 7 and 11 of this publication), along with time series data from 2013/14. Regional and national comparisons are also provided.

This statistic displays the prevalence of childhood obesity* in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1975 to 2016, by gender. At the beginning of this time series, female children in the UK were more likely to be obese than males. This changed in 1995, when the obesity rates for both male and female children in the UK equaled eight percent. As of 2016, 12.7 percent of male children are considered obese, compared to 10.2 percent of female children. It is also notable that the obesity rate in female children has declined from a high point of 10.4 percent in 2010.

Note 27/01/12: An error affecting 2 rows in each of Table 3A and 3B within the NCMP England, 2010/11 Online Tables excel workbook have been identified. The errors affect figures for Central Bedfordshire Unitary Authority (row 216 in each table) and Cornwall Unitary Authority (row 385 in each table). The errors do not affect England level figures or data shown for any other breakdowns within other tables. The pdf file NCMP England, 2010/11 Report is unaffected. The NCMP England, 2010/11 Online Tables excel workbook has been re-issued with a corrected version of Tables 3A and 3B. These tables also have revised footnotes. Please see the errata note for further information. The NHS IC apologises for any inconvenience this may have caused. Summary: This report summarises the key findings from the Government's National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for England, 2010/11 school year. The report provides high-level analysis of the prevalence of 'underweight', 'healthy weight', 'overweight', 'obese' and 'overweight and obese combined' children, in Reception (aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10-11 years), measured in state schools in England in the school year 2010/11. The National Obesity Observatory (NOO) will produce additional analysis of 2010/11 NCMP data (expected to be published in Spring 2012). The anonymised national dataset will also be made available to Public Health Observatories (PHOs) to allow regional and local analysis of the data. In addition, NOO have included 2010/11 NCMP data (as well as data from previous years) in an e-Atlas - an interactive mapping tool that enables the user to compare a range of indicators, examine correlations and make regional and national comparisons. See 'Look up results for your area' on the right hand side.

This report presents information on obesity, physical activity and diet drawn together from a variety of sources for England. More information can be found in the source publications which contain a wider range of data and analysis. Each section provides an overview of key findings, as well as providing links to relevant documents and sources. Some of the data have been published previously by NHS Digital. A data visualisation tool (link provided within the key facts) allows users to select obesity related hospital admissions data for any Local Authority (as contained in the data tables), along with time series data from 2013/14. Regional and national comparisons are also provided. The report includes information on: Obesity related hospital admissions, including obesity related bariatric surgery. Obesity prevalence. Physical activity levels. Walking and cycling rates. Prescriptions items for the treatment of obesity. Perception of weight and weight management. Food and drink purchases and expenditure. Fruit and vegetable consumption. Key facts cover the latest year of data available: Hospital admissions: 2018/19 Adult obesity: 2018 Childhood obesity: 2018/19 Adult physical activity: 12 months to November 2019 Children and young people's physical activity: 2018/19 academic year

This statistic displays the share of children aged *** years in England that are overweight or obese in 2023/24, by deprivation decile. In the most deprived decile approximately ** percent of children are overweight and obese compared with ** percent in the least deprived decile.

SUMMARYIdentifies Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs) with the greatest levels of excess weight in children (as measured in children in Reception and Year 6 respectively: three year average between academic years 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19).Although this layer is symbolised based on an overall score for excess weight, the underlying data, including the raw data for Reception and Year 6 children respectively, is included in the dataset.ANALYSIS METHODOLOGYThe following analysis was carried out using data for Reception and Year 6 children independently:Each MSOA was given a relative score between 1 and 0 (1 = worst, 0 = best) based on:A) the NUMBER of children in that year group with excess weight and;B) the PERCENTAGE of children in that year group with excess weight.An average of scores A & B was taken, and converted to a relative score between 1 and 0 (1= worst, 0 = best). The closer to 1 the score, the greater both the number and percentage of children with excess weight, compared to other MSOAs, within that year group. In other words, those are areas where a large number of children have excess weight, and where those children make up a large percentage of the population of that age group, suggesting there is a real issue with childhood obesity in that area that needs addressing.The scores for the Reception and Year 6 analyses were added together then converted to relative scores between 1- 0 (1 = high levels of excess weight in children in both Reception and Year 6, 0 = very low levels of excess weight in either school year). The greater the total score, the greater the levels of excess weight in children within the local population, and the greater the benefits that could be achieved by investing in measures to reduce this issue in those areas.The data overall scores for Reception and Year 6 children, respectively, can be viewed via the following datasets:Excess weight in Reception children, England (three year average: academic years 2016-19)Excess weight in Year 6 children, England (three year average: academic years 2016-19)DATA SOURCESNational Child Measurement Programme: Copyright © 2020, Health and Social Care Information Centre. The Health and Social Care Information Centre is a non-departmental body created by statute, also known as NHS Digital. MSOA boundaries: © Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2021.COPYRIGHT NOTICEBased on data: Copyright © 2020, Health and Social Care Information Centre. The Health and Social Care Information Centre is a non-departmental body created by statute, also known as NHS Digital.; © Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2021. Data analysed and published by Ribble Rivers Trust © 2021.CaBA HEALTH & WELLBEING EVIDENCE BASEThis dataset forms part of the wider CaBA Health and Wellbeing Evidence Base.

Proportion of children aged 4 to 5 years classified as living with obesity. For population monitoring purposes, a child’s body mass index (BMI) is classed as overweight or obese where it is on or above the 85th centile or 95th centile, respectively, based on the British 1990 (UK90) growth reference data. The population monitoring cut offs for overweight and obesity are lower than the clinical cut offs (91st and 98th centiles for overweight and obesity) used to assess individual children; this is to capture children in the population in the clinical overweight or obesity BMI categories and those who are at high risk of moving into the clinical overweight or clinical obesity categories. This helps ensure that adequate services are planned and delivered for the whole population.

Rationale There is concern about the rise of childhood obesity and the implications of obesity persisting into adulthood. The risk of obesity in adulthood and risk of future obesity-related ill health are greater as children get older. Studies tracking child obesity into adulthood have found that the probability of children who are overweight or living with obesity becoming overweight or obese adults increases with age[1,2,3]. The health consequences of childhood obesity include: increased blood lipids, glucose intolerance, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, increases in liver enzymes associated with fatty liver, exacerbation of conditions such as asthma and psychological problems such as social isolation, low self-esteem, teasing and bullying.

It is important to look at the prevalence of weight status across all weight/BMI categories to understand the whole picture and the movement of the population between categories over time.

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence have produced guidelines to tackle obesity in adults and children - http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG43.

1 Guo SS, Chumlea WC. Tracking of body mass index in children in relation to overweight in adulthood. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1999;70(suppl): 145S-8S.

2 Serdula MK, Ivery D, Coates RJ, Freedman DS, Williamson DF, Byers T. Do obese children become obese adults? A review of the literature. Preventative Medicine 1993;22:167-77.

3 Starc G, Strel J. Tracking excess weight and obesity from childhood to young adulthood: a 12-year prospective cohort study in Slovenia. Public Health Nutrition 2011;14:49-55.

Definition of numerator Number of children in reception (aged 4 to 5 years) with a valid height and weight measured by the NCMP with a BMI classified as living with obesity or severe obesity (BMI on or above 95th centile of the UK90 growth reference).

Definition of denominator Number of children in reception (aged 4 to 5 years) with a valid height and weight measured by the NCMP.

Caveats Data for local authorities may not match that published by NHS England which are based on the local authority of the school attended by the child or based on the local authority that submitted the data. There is a strong correlation between deprivation and child obesity prevalence and users of these data may wish to examine the pattern in their local area. Users may wish to produce thematic maps and charts showing local child obesity prevalence. When presenting data in charts or maps it is important, where possible, to consider the confidence intervals (CIs) around the figures. This analysis supersedes previously published data for small area geographies and historically published data should not be compared to the latest publication. Estimated data published in this fingertips tool is not comparable with previously published data due to changes in methods over the different years of production. These methods changes include; moving from estimated numbers at ward level to actual numbers; revision of geographical boundaries (including ward boundary changes and conversion from 2001 MSOA boundaries to 2011 boundaries); disclosure control methodology changes. The most recently published data applies the same methods across all years of data. There is the potential for error in the collection, collation and interpretation of the data (bias may be introduced due to poor response rates and selective opt out of children with a high BMI for age/sex which it is not possible to control for). There is not a good measure of response bias and the degree of selective opt out, but participation rates (the proportion of eligible school children who were measured) may provide a reasonable proxy; the higher the participation rate, the less chance there is for selective opt out, though this is not a perfect method of assessment. Participation rates for each local authority are available in the https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/national-child-measurement-programme/data#page/4/gid/8000022/ of this profile.

The NCMP and Child Obesity Profile displays prevalence of obesity, severe obesity, overweight, healthy weight and underweight at local authority (LA), regional and national level over time; for children in Reception (aged 4 to 5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10 to 11 years). The tool also presents inequalities in obesity prevalence by sex, deprivation quintile and ethnic group by LA. The profile also includes child obesity slope index of inequality (SII) for each of the 9 English regions and England.

The NCMP small area data domain displays trend data on the prevalence of excess weight (overweight including obesity) and obesity for Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs), Electoral Wards, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG), local authorities, and England.

Mali ML: Prevalence of Overweight: Weight for Height: % of Children Under 5 data was reported at 1.900 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.000 % for 2010. Mali ML: Prevalence of Overweight: Weight for Height: % of Children Under 5 data is updated yearly, averaging 2.100 % from Dec 1987 (Median) to 2015, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.700 % in 2006 and a record low of 0.500 % in 1987. Mali ML: Prevalence of Overweight: Weight for Height: % of Children Under 5 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mali – Table ML.World Bank: Health Statistics. Prevalence of overweight children is the percentage of children under age 5 whose weight for height is more than two standard deviations above the median for the international reference population of the corresponding age as established by the WHO's new child growth standards released in 2006.; ; UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child malnutrition estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology.; Linear mixed-effect model estimates; Estimates of overweight children are also from national survey data. Once considered only a high-income economy problem, overweight children have become a growing concern in developing countries. Research shows an association between childhood obesity and a high prevalence of diabetes, respiratory disease, high blood pressure, and psychosocial and orthopedic disorders (de Onis and Blössner 2003). Childhood obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death, and disability in adulthood. In addition to increased future risks, obese children experience breathing difficulties and increased risk of fractures, hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and psychological effects. Children in low- and middle-income countries are more vulnerable to inadequate nutrition before birth and in infancy and early childhood. Many of these children are exposed to high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, calorie-dense, micronutrient-poor foods, which tend be lower in cost than more nutritious foods. These dietary patterns, in conjunction with low levels of physical activity, result in sharp increases in childhood obesity, while under-nutrition continues

Update of annual statistics on high and low body mass index (BMI) for Primary 1 school children in ten participating NHS Boards in Scotland. From December 2010 onwards this publication will be released under the title "Primary 1 Body Mass Index (BMI) Statistics". Source agency: ISD Scotland (part of NHS National Services Scotland) Designation: National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Childhood obesity

This dataset presents the percentage of children aged 4 to 5 years in Reception who are classified as overweight or living with obesity. The data is sourced from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), managed by NHS England, and provides a snapshot of early childhood weight status across England. It is a key indicator for monitoring trends in childhood obesity and informing public health interventions aimed at improving children's health outcomes.

Rationale

The rationale behind this indicator is to reduce the proportion of children in Reception who are overweight or obese. Early childhood is a critical period for establishing healthy behaviours, and excess weight at this age is associated with a higher risk of obesity and related health conditions later in life. Monitoring this metric supports targeted prevention strategies and policy development.

Numerator

The numerator is the number of children in Reception (aged 4 to 5 years) with a valid height and weight measurement who are classified as living with obesity or severe obesity, as recorded by the NCMP.

Denominator

The denominator is the total number of children in Reception (aged 4 to 5 years) with a valid height and weight measurement recorded by the NCMP.

Caveats

There is potential for error in the collection, collation, and interpretation of the data. This includes possible bias due to poor response rates or selective opt-out by participants, which may affect the representativeness of the results.

External References

For more information, visit the Fingertips Public Health Profiles.

Click here to explore more from the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Partnerships Outcome Framework.

Note: This dataset has been archived as of January 2024, as will not be made available to the public. Information that the data is ward-level aggregated which is volatile and easy to misinterpret the data and the level datasets are misleading if published. Child Obesity and Excess Weight data from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP, published by Public Health England). NCMP data is an annual survey of children attending state schools, which is the denominator for percentages. Figures are based on child residence postcode. Data is shown for Lincolnshire and Districts, Wards, and NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The data shows children at risk of obesity and excess weight (which includes overweight and obesity). It uses population monitoring criteria, not clinical assessments which might give lower prevalence rates. NCMP data covers state schools but does not include independent sector children, and some larger children may opt out. The data is updated annually. Source: Public Health England (PHE) National Obesity Observatory.

This report presents findings from the Government's National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for England, 2023/24 school year. It covers children in Reception (aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10-11 years) in mainstream state-maintained schools in England. The report contains analyses of Body Mass Index (BMI) classification rates by age, sex, deprivation and ethnicity as well as geographic analyses.

This set of files contains public data used to validate the grocery data. All references to the original sources are provided below.CHILD OBESITYPeriodically, the English National Health Service (NHS) publishes statistics about various aspects of the health and habits of people living in England, including obesity. The NHS National Child Measurement (NCMP) measures the height and weight of children in Reception class (aged 4 to 5) and year 6 (aged 10 to 11), to assess overweight and obesity levels in children within primary schools. The program is carried out every year in England and statistics are produced at the level of Local Authority (that corresponds to Boroughs in London). We report the data for the school year 2015-2016 (file: child_obesity_london_borough_2015-2016.csv). For the school year 2013-2014, statistics in London are also available at ward-level (file: child_obesity_london_ward_2013-2014.csv)The files are comma-separated and contain the following fields: area_id: the id of the boroughnumber_reception_measured: number of children in reception year measurednumber_y6_measured: number of children in reception year measuredprevalence_overweight_reception: the prevalence (percentage) of overweight children in reception year prevalence_overweight_y6: the prevalence (percentage) of overweight children in year 6prevalence_obese_reception: the prevalence (percentage) of obese children in reception yearprevalence_obese_y6: the prevalence (percentage) of obese children in year 6ADULT OBESITYThe Active People Survey (APS) was a survey used to measure the number of adults taking part in sport across England and included two questions about the height and weight of participants. We report the results of the APS for the year 2012. Prevalence of underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obese people at borough level are provided in the file london_obesity_borough_2012.csv.The file is comma-separated and contains the following fields: area_id: the id of the boroughnumber_measured: number of people who participated in the surveyprevalence_healthy_weight: the prevalence (percentage) of healthy-weight peopleprevalence_overweight: the prevalence (percentage) of overweight peopleprevalence_obese: the prevalence (percentage) of obese peopleBARIATRIC HOSPITALIZATIONThe NHS records and publishes an annual compendium report about the number of hospital admissions attributable to obesity or bariatric surgery (i.e., weight loss surgery used as a treatment for people who are very obese), and the number of prescription items provided in primary care for the treatment of obesity. The NHS provides both raw counts at the Local Authority level and numbers normalized by population living in those areas. In the file obesity_hospitalization_borough_2016.csv, we report the statistics for the year 2015 (measurements made between Jan 2015 and March 2016).The file is comma-separated and contains the following fields:area_id: the id of the boroughtotal_hospitalizations: total number of obesity-related hospitalizationstotal_bariatric: total number of hospitalizations for bariatric surgeryprevalence_hospitalizations: prevalence (percentage) of obesity-related hospitalizations prevalence_bariatric: prevalence (percentage) of bariatric surgery hospitalizations DIABETESThrough the Quality and Outcomes Framework, NHS Digital publishes annually the number of people aged 17+ on a register for diabetes at each GP practice in England. NHS also publishes the number of people living in a census area who are registered to any of the GP in England. Based on these two sources, an estimate is produced about the prevalence of diabetes in each area. The data (file diabetes_estimates_osward_2016.csv) was collected in 2016 at LSOA-level and published at ward-level.The file is comma-separated and contains the following fields:area_id: the id of the wardgp_patients: total number of GP patients gp_patients_diabetes: total number of GP patients with a diabetes diagnosisestimated_diabetes_prevalence: prevalence (percentage) of diabetesAREA MAPPINGMapping of Greater London postcodes into larger geographical aggregations. The file is comma-separated and contains the following fields:pcd: postcodelat: latitudelong: longitudeoa11: output arealsoa11: lower super output areamsoa11: medium super output areaosward: wardoslaua: borough

This report summarises the key findings from the Government's National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for England, 2012-13 school year. The report provides high-level analysis of the prevalence of 'underweight', 'healthy weight', 'overweight', 'obese' and 'overweight and obese combined' children, in Reception (typically aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (typically aged 10-11 years), measured in state schools in England in the school year 2012-13. Public Health England's Obesity Knowledge and Intelligence Team (PHE Obesity K&I), previously the National Obesity Observatory (NOO), publish a detailed annual NCMP report which contains additional specific analyses not included in the HSCIC summary report. This report is expected to be published in early 2014. The anonymised national data set will also be made available to Public Health Observatories (PHOs) to allow regional and local analysis of the data. In addition, PHE Obesity K&I include NCMP data in an online data tool that enables the user to examine patterns and trends at local authority level. This interactive data tool will be updated with the 2012/13 NCMP data in early January 2014. See 'Look up results for your area' on the right hand side to access this tool.