The increase seen in levels of overweight and obesity seen in the pandemic has not reversed in older primary school children, an analysis has found.
It means almost one in four children aged 10 and 11 years in England is now obese, data from the National Child Measurement Programme shows.
There was a 45% increase in rates of overweight and obesity during the pandemic – the largest single year rise recorded – believed to be a result of school closures and cancellation of sports clubs at the start of the pandemic, as well as disruption to normal activity routines.
Looking at trends before, during and after Covid-19 lockdowns, only the youngest children have bounced back to expected levels of overweight and obesity, a study in PLOS ONE shows.
The latest analysis shows that by 2022 four and five-year-olds had returned to what would have been expected if we had not had the pandemic, researchers reported.
But this was not the case for those in year 6 at the end of primary school where the weight gain seen had persisted, they said.
It suggests that more radical policy is needed to tackle reverse the trend but also that intervention in the early years may be key.
They estimated an extra 56,000 children are now above a healthy weight by the end of primary school than would have been expected without the pandemic with more than 16,700 becoming severely obese during Covid-19.
It could cost an extra £800m in healthcare alone, they added.
Last summer the NHS announced plans to open 10 new specialist clinics across England to support children and young people who are severely obese.
The rise in rates of obesity and overweight seen in the pandemic was twice as high in the most deprived areas of England – a gap that is widening over time.
Study author Professor Keith Godfrey from the University of Southampton, said: ‘The sharp increase in childhood obesity during the Covid-19 pandemic illustrates the profound impacts on children’s development.
‘Alongside the escalating costs of the ongoing epidemic of childhood obesity, it is clear that more radical new policy measures are required to reduce obesity and secure wellbeing and prosperity for the country as a whole.’
Professor Simon Kenny, NHS England’s national clinical director for children and young people, said: ‘These figures will be as alarming to parents as they are to the NHS.
‘Obesity affects every human organ system and so at a young age can have a major impact on a child’s life, increasing their risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, mental health issues and many other illnesses, which can lead to shorter and unhappier lives.’
