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Obesity among primary school-starters in England is increasing: 9.6 per cent were obese in 2016/17, up from 9.3 in 2015/16, according to latest data from the National Child Measurement Programme. The rate doubles to 20 per cent by the end of primary school, and Public Health England research shows fewer than five per cent of obese reception-age children reaching a healthy weight by 11. This makes it crucial to embed healthy eating habits early.
The national charity HENRY (Health, Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young), resulting from a 2007 collaboration between parenting and behaviour expert Candida Hunt and Mary Rudolf, professor in child health at the University of Leeds, supports families of under-fives with five factors associated with later obesity: parenting skills, eating patterns and behaviour, healthy eating, physical activity and emotional wellbeing. Its eight-week programme Healthy Families: Right From the Start with HENRY is now used for group or one-to-one work by 36 authorities, but its chief executive Kim Roberts calls Leeds "outstanding" for its "strategic vision, consistency and reach".
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