Children in the UK are becoming shorter, heavier, and less healthy due to "shocking levels" of poverty and food deprivation, according to a new report by The Food Foundation.
The charity also attributes the decline in children's health and wellbeing to the "aggressive promotion of cheap junk food." The report reveals that the average height of five-year-olds has decreased year-on-year since 2013, with boys and girls in the UK now ranking the shortest and second shortest respectively among high-income countries, based on data from the Non-Communicable Diseases Risk Factor Collaboration, a network of health scientists.
The report also highlights a 30% increase in obesity among 10-11-year-olds since 2006, with one in five children classified as obese by the time they finish primary school, as per data from the National Child Measurement Programme. Additionally, diet-related illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes have risen by 22% among under-25s over the past five years, according to data from the National Diabetes Audit 2021-2022.
The NHS defines a child or teenager as very overweight if their body mass index (BMI) is higher than 98 out of 100 others in the same age group. Campaigners from The Food Foundation say the cost of living crisis has exacerbated these issues and are calling for urgent action from the next government to "reverse the current trajectory."
They warn that failure to act will result in a generation burdened by diet-related illnesses and their associated consequences, including mental health issues and strain on the NHS.
