“The scale and implications of childhood obesity have been repeated many times. There is wide spread recognition that it’s one of the biggest health issues of the twenty-first century, and one that requires solutions at many different levels. In many developed countries, you are also now more likely to be obese if you are poor. In the UK, children aged five years and from the poorest income groups, are twice as likely to be obese compared to their most well-off counterparts. By age 11, they are three times more likely. London has more overweight and obese children than any other major global city and inner-city boroughs, where we focus our work, encapsulate many of the reasons why. These boroughs are densely populated, have high population churn, high rates of income inequality and a complex ethnic and social mix. One in four local children aged four to five are obese or overweight. The number rises to two in five by the time they reach secondary school.” (Bite-Size: Breaking Down the Challenge of Inner-City Childhood Obesity)
There are a range of resources available for health professionals including:
- Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity Report Bite-Size: Breaking Down the Challenge of Inner-City Childhood Obesity
- GOV.UK Childhood Obesity Plan: A Plan for Action
- GOV.UK Child Obesity: Applying All Our Health
- Growth Charts UK-WHO App – accessible via Google Play Store or Apple App Store – details below
