By Chris Thomas, senior research fellow, Institute for Public Policy Research
Childhood obesity remains one of the UK’s greatest public health challenges. One in 10 children in reception are classed as obese, rising to one in five by year six.
Children who are overweight or obese in childhood are more likely to be overweight or obese into adulthood.
Statistics show 70 per cent of adolescents living with obesity will be obese as an adult.
This means a greater risk of serious diseases like cancer, Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.
It has not always been this way. Childhood obesity is a fairly recent epidemic. One estimate from University College London and King’s College London researchers suggests childhood obesity rates were just over one per cent in 1984.
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