TES – Staff Writer
NHS figures reveal obesity gap between children in most and least deprived areas. The proportion of obese children in the first year of primary school has risen for the second year in a row, according to new figures from NHS Digital. Some 9.6 per cent of children in reception classes in 2016-17 were obese, up from 9.3 per cent the year before. Deprived areas of the country are particularly affected by obesity, with more than double the number of obese children compared to more affluent areas. For all children in the last year of primary school, 20 per cent were obese – a figure that has remained stable compared to last year. (more)