Nearly 25 percent UK kids are obese by age 4
December 26th, 2010 - 2:21 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Dec 26 (IANS) Britain is facing a growing weight crisis among primary school children with a quarter already overweight or obese when they start school at the age of four, revealed a report.
And by the time the children leave primary school at the age of 11, more than one in three will be too fat and at serious risk of long-term health problems.
Despite millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money being spent on government initiatives to reduce childhood obesity, the survey of one million youngsters revealed that rates have actually increased over the last few years, the Daily Mail reports.
A total of 33.3 percent of children leaving primary school are now classified as ‘too fat,’ compared to 31.7 per cent in 2006-07.
Many also have very high blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels - symptoms usually associated with patients in their 50s and 60s.
Doctors have warned that they are seeing teenagers as young as 15 with early signs of heart disease caused by high-fat diets and lack of exercise.
Experts say the obesity figures prove that ministers’ initiatives to promote healthy school meals and physical education have failed.
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: “Government assurances last year that childhood obesity levels were levelling off have been found to be sadly wanting.
“Any hope that Whitehall may have had for a quick fix to the epidemic has been shattered by these figures.”
- A quarter of Brit kids are overweight or obese by the age of 5 - Dec 16, 2010
- Being fat by age 9 ups heart disease risk - Nov 26, 2010
- Many obese kids in Britain facing strokes - Jun 12, 2011
- Pollution 'can cause obesity and diabetes' - Dec 28, 2010
- British women are more obese - Nov 26, 2011
- Mexican study indicates working stunts kids' growth - Apr 30, 2011
- Baby fat can be a harbinger of serious disease later on - Nov 20, 2010
- Exercise can undo effects of maternal obesity - Feb 10, 2012
- Brit school bans football from being played in playground - Feb 25, 2011
- High-fat diet lowers blood sugar in diabetics - May 13, 2012
- Missing sugar molecule 'increases diabetes risk' - Feb 25, 2011
- Birch bark ingredient has an array of metabolic benefits - Jan 05, 2011
- Britons losing battlle of the bulge? - Dec 16, 2011
- Link between high-fat diets, type 2 diabetes clarified - Apr 12, 2011
- Let Jill And Jack Play And Eat Well - Apr 28, 2010
Tags: childhood obesity, daily mail, early signs of heart disease, government assurances, government initiatives, healthy school meals, heart disease, high blood pressure, insulin levels, lack of exercise, long term health, obesity levels, one million, physical education, signs of heart disease, term health problems, uk kids, weight crisis, whitehall, youngsters