Childhood Obesity

It's more likely that children from poorer communities in London will be obese than those from more affluent families, the London Health Observatory reported last week. The LHO's report consitutes the first detailed analysis of local level data from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for 2006-8. NCMP data was released earlier this month. The LHOs' director praised PCTs and local authorities for the quality of data recording, but noted that the figures constituted "a striking finding for both London’s most deprived and for black communities.” Risk of obesity was highest amongt children from the poorest boroughs, with with a range of 6% to 14% for children in reception year, and from 12% to 26% in year 6. Additionally, there was a significantly higher risk of obesity for children from black ethnic minority groups in both year groups than other ethnic groups. Overall, London's figures are higher than the national average, too. The National Obesity Observatory's May newsletter provides a useful survey of data on obesity and deprivation.