A third of young people in England are overweight or obese. In the past decade, obesity has more than doubled in the under-15 age group.
These headline-grabbing statistics from the Government confirm what many people suspect - that changes in young people's lifestyles are having a direct impact on their quality of life.
With the health risks and social exclusion associated with obesity, many youth workers are wondering if nutrition and activity levels should be a higher priority.
An overlooked group
Projects aimed specifically at overweight young people are rare. Pioneers in the field have attributed this to factors such as the tendency to load blame onto the individual and the extent to which overweight young people hide their distress. They are unlikely to be identified as a group with priority needs.
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