Children in Brent are among the most obese in the country according to the latest government data.

One in eight children in reception class were reported to be obese in the borough, the National Child Measurement Programme revealed.

Four to five-year-olds in Brent had the second highest obesity rates in England, rising to an alarming 13.3% in 2016/17 from 10.6% in 2015/16.

The figures showed 28% of Year 6 children in Brent measured as obese in 2016/17, the second highest in England, up from 24.2% in 2015/16.

In Westminster, 27.5% of Year 6 children were overweight in 2016-17, up from 26.1% the year before, while it was 24.1% of children in Hounslow, down slightly from 24.3% in 2015-16.

In Kensington and Chelsea children were least likely to be obese, with 7.5% of reception children and 18.9% of Year 6 children measured as very overweight in 2016-17.

Alarmingly across England obesity has risen for a second year running for children in reception from 9.3% in 2015/16 to 9.6% in 2016/17.

Obesity was more than twice as high among Year 6 children (20%) compared to reception age children, although the figures for 10 to 11-year-olds remained stable between 2015/16 and 2016/17.

The NCMP measures the height and weight of over one million children in England annually and provides robust data on the number of children in reception and Year 6 who are underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese.

Childhood obesity could cause major depression in adult life

NCMP data showed more than one in three children (34.2%) in Year 6 were either overweight or obese in 2016-17.

Meanwhile almost one in four children (22.6%) were overweight or obese in reception year.

Regional data showed how obesity prevalence varied by local authority.

For reception year this ranged from Kingston-upon-Thames at 4.8%, to 13.5% in Wolverhampton.

For Year 6 obesity prevalence ranged from 11.3% in Rutland to 29.2% in Barking and Dagenham.

In addition the latest report showed a gap between the richest and poorest.

Obesity among children was more than double in the most deprived areas compared to those living in the least deprived areas.

Reception age ranged from 5.8% in the least deprived to 12.7% in the most deprived and in year 6 this ranged from 11.4% to 26.3%.

The difference in obesity prevalence between children attending schools in the most and least deprived areas has also increased over time.

Picture by Graham Young, Birmingham Mail

In 2016-17 the difference for reception was 6.0 percentage points, compared to 4.5 percentage points in 2006-07.

The equivalent figures for Year 6 were 13.4 percentage points in 2016-17 against 8.5 percentage points in 2006-07. In Year 6 this deprivation gap has grown more quickly for boys than girls.

Obesity prevalence was higher for boys in both age groups.

In reception, 10.0% of boys and 9.2% of girls were classified as obese. In Year 6, this was 21.8% of boys and 18.1% of girls respectively.

The prevalence of underweight children was higher for boys in reception (1.2% compared to 0.7% for girls) but higher for girls in Year 6 (1.5% compared to 1.2% for boys).

The proportion of underweight children was also higher in Year 6 (1.3%) than in reception (1.0%).

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