A third of 11-year-old children in England are categorised as
overweight or obese. Data collected by the National Childhood
Measurement Programme show that in 2011, 33.4 percent of year
six children are overweight or obese, equalling the percentage
rate for children in 2010. The programme, which measures both
reception and year six children, shows that over the past five
years, obesity levels are rising in primary school leavers, with
a figure of 19 percent obesity in 2011 compared to 17.5 percent
in 2007. The percentage of overweight children has remained
level with an average of 14.4 percent over the past five years.
Although levels of overweight and obese children is lower in the
reception age category, 22.6 percent of under 5s are categorised
as overweight or obese, amounting to a figure of over 122,000
children under five years who fall into the unhealthy weight
categories. Figures show that across both reception and year six
children, boys scored higher for being overweight than girls.
The obesity preva