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Digital

National Statistics
Publication, Part of

National Child Measurement Programme - England, 2013-14

Official statistics, National statistics, Accredited official statistics
Publication Date:
Geographic Coverage:
England
Geographical Granularity:
Regions, Local Authorities
Date Range:
01 Sep 2013 to 31 Aug 2014

Summary

This report summarises the key findings from the Government's National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for England, 2013-14 school year. The report provides high-level analysis of the prevalence of 'underweight', 'healthy weight', 'overweight', 'obese' and 'overweight and obese combined' children, in Reception (typically aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (typically aged 10-11 years), measured in state schools in England in the school year 2013-14.

PHE Obesity Knowledge & Information team (K&I) will conduct additional analyses (expected to be published in mid 2015), and the anonymised national dataset will be made available to PHE Obesity K&I to allow regional and local analyses of the data. Additionally, PHE Obesity K&I also present NCMP data in an online data tool that enables the user to examine patterns and trends at local authority level. This interactive data tool will be updated with the 2013-14 NCMP data in early January 2015.

On the 27 May 2015, the HSCIC were informed by Hackney council that the record for ID 931348 was incorrect and the weight should have been 44.4 kg instead of 144.4 kg

Highlights

  • 1,101,611 valid measurements were received for children in England, in reception and year 6 - approximately 94 per cent of those eligible1.

In reception:

  • Over a fifth (22.5 per cent) of the children measured were either overweight or obese. This was higher than in 2012-13 (22.2 per cent) but lower than in 2006-07 (22.9 per cent) 
  • The proportion of obese children (9.5 per cent) was higher than in 2012-13 (9.3 per cent) but lower than in 2006-07 (9.9 per cent).

In year 6:

  • Around a third (33.5 per cent) of the children measured were either overweight or obese. This was higher than in 2012-13 (33.3 per cent) and also higher than in 2006-07 (31.6 per cent)
  • The proportion of obese children (19.1 per cent) was higher than in 2012-13 (18.9 per cent) and also higher than in 2006-07 (17.5 per cent).

By geography:

  • Obesity prevalence varied by Local Authority (LA)2. For reception this ranged from 5.5 per cent in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead3 and 6.0 per cent in the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames to 14.4 per cent in the London Borough Of Hackney4. In year 6 the range was from 11.1 per cent, in the London Borough Of Richmond Upon Thames Council, to 26.7 per cent in London Borough Of Southwark Council.

By deprivation:

  • The obesity prevalence among reception year children attending schools in areas in the most deprived decile was 12.0 per cent compared with 6.6 per cent among those attending schools in areas in the least deprived decile.
  • Similarly, obesity prevalence among year 6 children attending schools in areas in the most deprived decile was 24.7 per cent compared with 13.1 per cent among those attending schools in areas in the least deprived decile.

1 See 'National Child Measurement Programme Operational Guidance for the 2013/14 school year' for further information on which children were eligible for inclusion
2 This is based on the upper tier local authority that the school was located within.
3 It should be noted that the participation rate for Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead was particularly low at 34.2 per cent. This may impact on the obesity prevalence rate if those children measured were not representative of all children in the LA.
4 Figures for London Borough of Hackney also include City of London. 

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Last edited: 2 November 2018 2:03 pm