Factors affecting childhood obesity

Children born since the 1980s are up to three times more likely than older generations to be overweight or obese by age 10.¹ Current evidence shows that obese children usually go on to become obese adults.² This is not solely a UK issue, but a global one. Despite some small, isolated areas of improvement, no country has yet to halt the obesity epidemic, which has been linked to a wide range of chronic diseases, causing a significant public health issue and a huge economic burden for healthcare systems.³

The NHS spends around £6 billion a year managing diseases caused by obesity. A mere fraction of this is spent on obesity prevention programmes.⁴