Causes of childhood obesity

Many children are overweight because they simply eat more calories than they need. Many foods liked by children are high in fat, salt and sugar. From an early age children also pick up poor dietary habits from their parents and family. Excessive portion sizes and insufficient physical activity only serve to compound the issue.

A lack of sleep has also been suggested as a contributory factor. Children going to bed later and getting less sleep has been shown in some cases to increase the levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin that monitor and act on body fat stores. Other hormone imbalances such as hypothyroidism can have an effect on appetite and body fat, as can some medications.

Current statistics

It is estimated that obesity and its health consequences costs the NHS approximately 4 billion pounds a year; this is set to rise as long-term health implications will manifest for the increasing numbers of overweight and obese children in future years. The current state of affairs in the United Kingdom, and indeed globally, is referred to as the ‘obesity epidemic’.

National Child Measurement Programme

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) was launched in England in 2005 and consists of the height and weight measurement of children at primary school in Reception (age 4–5 years) and Year 6 (age 10–11 years). From these measurements the body mass index (BMI) can be calculated using a simple equation: