Healthy Weight Among Children and Young People

This topic area covers statistics and information relating to healthy weight among children and young people in Hull including local strategic need and service provision. Further information relating to Healthy Weight among Adults is given under Lifestyle Factors within Adults. Information relating to wanting to lose or gain weight was collected in Hull’s Young People Health and Wellbeing Surveys, and height and weight was recorded in Hull’s Adult Health and Wellbeing Surveys, and full reports are available under Surveys within Tools and Resources.

This page contains information from the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ Fingertips. Information is taken ‘live’ from the site so uses the latest available data from Fingertips and displays it on this page. As a result, some comments on this page may relate to an earlier period of time until this page is next updated (see review dates at the end of this page).

Headlines

• Children’s height and weight are routinely measured as part of the National Child Measurement Programme during reception year (Year R – aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10-11 years) since 2006/07, although fewer children were measured in the school year 2020/21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results have not been released nationally at local authority level due to queries over data quality.
• In 2019/20, among Year R children, 3,190 were measured with 15 (0.5%) underweight, 2,265 (71.0%) a healthy weight, 495 (15.5%) overweight and 410 (12.9%) obese (which included 110 (3.4%) who were severely obese). Among Year 6 children, 3,045 were measured with 25 (0.8%) were underweight, 1,885 (61.9%) a healthy weight, 430 (14.1%) overweight and 705 (23.2%) obese (including 190 (6.2%) who were severely obese).
• Whilst the prevalence of overweight among Hull children is similar or below that of England, the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity is higher in Hull compared to England. As a result, the prevalence of excess weight is higher in Hull compared to England for both Year R children (28.4% versus 23.0%) and Year 6 children (37.3% versus 35.1%).

The Population Affected – Why Is It Important?

There are certain risks associated with being underweight or overweight.

Children and adults who are underweight or have poor nutrition have an increased risk of malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, or anaemia, osteoporosis from too little vitamin D and calcium, decreased immune function, fertility issues caused by irregular menstrual cycles, and growth and development issues, especially in children and teenagers.

Excess weight in childhood is a significant health issue for children, young people, and their families. It can have serious implications for the physical and mental health of a child, which can then follow into adulthood. Children and young people who have excess weight are more likely to become adults with excess weight.

Excess weight among adults can reduce life expectancy by between three and ten years, depending on the severity of the obesity. Excess weight increases the risk of numerous daily problems and health conditions as well as increased complications within pregnancy. Excess weight can cause health issues and increase physical inactivity, but also can affect self-esteem and underlying mental health. In children and young people, it could increase bullying and impact negatively on their education and ultimately their future employment prospects. The cost of being overweight and obese to society and the economy is estimated to be £27 billion per year. The cost could increase to just under £50 billion in 2050 if obesity rates continue to rise.

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) has been running since the school year 2006/07. Virtually all children in reception year (Year R) aged 4-5 years of age and all children in the last year of primary school (in Year 6) aged 10-11 years have their height and weight measured.

Given that children of different ages and genders grow and develop at different rates, the method used to define weight classification in UK children differs to the methods used for adults. The body mass index (BMI) is still used for children which is calculated as weight (in kilograms) by the square of height (in metres), but the BMI value is compared to reference sample measurements gathered in 1990 which takes into consideration age and gender (Cole and Freeman). These are referred to as UK 1990 growth reference charts. Underweight is based being lower than the 2nd centile (bottom 2% in 1990), healthy weight as between the 2nd centile and less than the 85th centile (83% of population in 1990), overweight as on or above the 85th centile (15% of population in 1990), obese as on or above the 95th centile (5% of population in 1990), and severely obese as on or above the 99.6th centile (0.4% of population in 1990).

The Hull Picture

Latest Prevalence Estimates of Excess Weight

The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ Fingertips presents the percentage of underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obese and severely obese among children aged 4-5 years in reception year (Year R), and aged 10-11 years in Year 6 from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) based on the local authority of where that child lives.

The data collection for 2020/21 was significantly interrupted by the COVID19 pandemic and as such only around one fifth of pupils were weighed and measured. As a consequence, local authority data for 2020/21 is not of sufficient quality to be able to draw conclusions as to trends in pupil weight. However at a national level, where data is more robust, the trend indicated a significant increase in child obesity for both Years R and 6 from 9.9% to 14.4% in Year R and from 21.0% to 25.5% in Year 6. It would be reasonable to assume a similar trend occurring in Hull given the city’s deprivation profile and higher than national levels of excess weight recorded in previous years.

In 2019/20 data collection was also impacted by the COVID19 pandemic, however data collections in Hull were complete enough by March 2020.

To give an idea of data completeness, NHS Digital compared the number of records submitted for each local authority in 2019/20 (based on the children attending schools within their local authority) with the numbers submitted in the previous three years to estimate the completeness of the 2019/20 data.

For reception age children, data was submitted for 3,190 Hull children during 2019/20 compared to an average data submission of 3,345 children per year during the previous three years (95% of the usual total number).

However, across the region, for children in reception, nine local authorities across the region had submitted records for between 25% and 75% of the usual total number of children and therefore their results are not necessarily reliable. These were Barnsley (where they submitted 58% of their usual total number of records), Bradford (67%), East Riding of Yorkshire (56%), Kirklees (54%), Leeds (61%), Rotherham (55%), Sheffield (74%), Wakefield (54%) and York (56%). The remaining five other local authorities had all submitted over 75% of the total number of records compared to the last three years so their measurements are considered to be more reliable. These were Calderdale (82%), Doncaster (99%), North East Lincolnshire (98%), North Lincolnshire (94%) and North Yorkshire (78%).

During 2019/20, in Hull, over one-quarter of children in Year R have excess weight.

For children in Year 6, 3,045 records were submitted for Hull for 2019/20 compared to an average of 2,965 children being submitted the previous three years (over 100% of the usual total number). The calculations used by NHS Digital were based on the total number of records submitted and did not take into account population changes over time. The numbers submitted in Hull had been increasing over time and were 2,870 in 2016/17, 3,000 in 2017/18 and 3,025 in 2018/19.

Across the region, for children in Year 6, six local authorities had submitted records for between 25% and 75% of the usual total number of children and therefore their results are not necessarily reliable. These were Barnsley (58%), Bradford (39%), East Riding of Yorkshire (69%), Kirklees (71%), Rotherham (71%) and York (39%). The remaining eight other local authorities had all submitted over 75% of the total number of records compared to the last three years so their measurements are considered to be more reliable. These were Calderdale (91%), Doncaster (over 100%), Leeds (83%), North East Lincolnshire (100%), North Lincolnshire (over 100%), North Yorkshire (93%), Sheffield (79%) and Wakefield (over 100%).

In Hull, over one-third of children in Year 6 have excess weight.

The prevalence of the BMI categories is illustrated in graphical form below for Hull for 2019/20 comparing Year R and Year 6 children.

Among Year R children living in Hull, whilst the prevalence of overweight is lower than England, the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity is higher than England. As a result, the prevalence of excess weight is higher in Hull at 28.4% compared to England at 23.0%.

Among Year 6 children who live in Hull, a similar situation occurs when compared to England. For 2019/20, the prevalence of overweight is the same in Hull as England, but the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity is higher in Hull. Thus the prevalence of excess weight is higher in Hull at 37.3% compared to 35.1% for England.

Trends Over Time

Compared to last year, a decrease in excess weight was observed in Hull among children in reception (a 0.8 percentage point decrease from 29.2% to 28.4%), but an increase in Year 6 children (a 1.5 percentage point increase from 36.0% to 37.5%).

Body mass index	Year R Change in Hull	Year R Change in England	Year 6 Change in Hull	Year 6 Change in England
Overweight	-0.1	-0.4	-0.3	0.0
Obese	-0.7	0.0	+1.7	+1.0
Excess weight	-0.8	+0.4	+1.5	+1.0

For Year R children, excess weight has increased since 2012/13 in Hull with a consistent inequalities or increasing gap with England since 2013/14, although the gap has reduced slightly between 2018/19 and 2019/20. Since 2006/07 when NCMP started, the difference between Hull and England has ranged from 0.7 percentage points (2012/13) to 6.6 percentage points. The prevalence in Hull is currently 5.4 percentage points higher than England, and the prevalence in Hull is the third highest since 2006/07 (the prevalence was highest at 29.2% last year in 2018/19 and second highest the year prior to that in 2017/18).

Among Year 6 children in Hull, the prevalence of excess weight in Hull has been consistently higher than England. There has been year-on-year variability in Hull, and since 2014/15 the difference between Hull and England has ranged from 1.7 percentage points to 3.6 percentage points. The prevalence in Hull is currently 2.4 percentage points higher than England, and the prevalence in Hull is the second highest it has been since the NCMP started in 2006/07 (the prevalence was highest at 37.9% in both 2010/11 and 2017/18).

Geographical Spread Across Hull’s Wards

It is possible to examine the prevalence of overweight, obesity and excess weight for each ward in Hull. Information below is presented for three years combined for the period 2016/17-2018/19.

Year R – Overweight

The percentage of reception year children who were overweight varied dramatically across Hull’s 21 wards from 9.7% to 17.9% over the three year period 2016/17-2018/19.

Year R – Obesity

The percentage of reception year children who were obese also varied dramatically across Hull’s 21 wards from 9.0% to 16.2% over the three year period 2016/17-2018/19.

Year R – Excess Weight

Similarly, the percentage of Year R children who were overweight or obese varied dramatically across Hull’s 21 wards from 23.3% to 31.7% over the three year period 2016/17-2018/19.

Year 6 – Overweight

The percentage of Year 6 children who were overweight varied dramatically across Hull’s 21 wards from 11.0% to 18.2% over the three year period 2016/17-2018/19.

Year 6 – Obese

The percentage of Year 6 children who were obese also varied dramatically across Hull’s 21 wards from 16.8% to 32.3% over the three year period 2016/17-2018/19.

Year 6 – Excess Weight

Thus unsurprisingly, the percentage of Year 6 children who were overweight or obese also varied dramatically across Hull’s 21 wards from 28.5% to 46.0% over the three year period 2016/17-2018/19.

Association Between Excess Weight Prevalence And Deprivation

Local analyses have been completed examining the data for the academic year 2018/19 by deprivation using the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 dividing Hull into five groups from most deprived fifth to least deprived fifth within Hull.

Excess Weight

Children in both Year R and Year 6 are less likely to be overweight or obese if they live in the least deprived fifth of areas of Hull.

Obesity

Children in both Year R and Year 6 are also less likely to be obese if they live in the least deprived fifth of areas of Hull).

Strategic Need and Service Provision

Obesity is a complex problem with many drivers including behaviour, the environment, genetics, and culture.

Hull has developed a whole-system approach to promoting a healthy weight which considers the multi-factorial drivers of overweight and obesity and involves transformative co-ordination action across a broad range of disciplines and stakeholders. This views actions and behaviours of individuals in the context of the continuum of their lives from pre-natal through to older ages, and the transition through various life stages and transition points. Also there is action to tackle the ‘obesogenic’ environment, and ensuring opens spaces and places to be active are accessible. Long term sustainable change will only be achieved through the active engagement of schools, communities, families and individuals.

This whole system approach to childhood healthy weight which makes this complex issue everybody’s business and encourages everyone to take proactive action. Some of these actions include:

• The Local Plan placing restrictions on the opening of new fast food outlets near secondary schools and recreational grounds.
• Delivery of the Food for Life programme and healthy school meals in schools.
• Investment in Children Centres to support families to lead healthier lifestyles.
• Hull Culture and Leisure providing excellent sports facilities and parks where families can be active together.
• The voluntary and community sector providing activities such as healthy cooking programmes.
• Engaging in national healthy lifestyle campaigns, such as Change 4 Life, and given them a local focus.

Resources

Cole TJ, Freeman JV, Preece MA. Body mass index reference curves for the UK, 1990.
Archives of Disease in Childhood 1995;73: 25‐9.

Cole TJ, Freeman JV, Preece MA. British 1990 growth reference centiles for weight,
height, body mass index and head circumference fitted by maximum penalized
likelihood. Statistics in Medicine 1998;17: 407‐29.

Freeman JV, Cole TJ, Chinn S, Jones PRM, White EM, Preece MA. Cross sectional
stature and weight reference curves for the UK, 1990. Archives of Disease in
Childhood 1995;73: 17‐24.

National Child Measurement Programme. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/national-child-measurement-programme/2019-20-school-year

The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ Fingertips. https://fingertips.phe.org.uk

Local reports presenting the results of the local analyses of the NCMP data

Updates

This page was last updated on 19 August 2022.

This page is due to be updated / checked in October 2022.