Tackling Childhood Obesity in the UK: Taking Meaningful Action to Tackle a Growing Public Health Crisis

The Covid-19 pandemic saw levels of childhood obesity surge across the UK, as school closures and lockdowns decreased levels of physical activity, increased screen time, and worsened food insecurity. The increase in childhood obesity in the UK between 2019-20 and 2020-21, as recorded by the National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP), was the highest rise since the programme began 15 years ago, as obesity levels increased by more than 4% in both reception and year 6. Figures for 2021-22 show 38% of children leaving primary school overweight or obese. Children living in poorer areas are far more likely to be affected by obesity; the NCMP found that 33.7% of year 6 pupils living in deprived areas in the UK are obese, compared with 14.3% in the least deprived areas. Unless addressed, the potential repercussions of childhood obesity are serious, significantly increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, liver conditions, early heart disease and cancer.

In order to target rising levels of obesity, the NHS announced in 2021 the creation of 15 new weight-loss clinics which will work to treat and prevent complications arising from childhood obesity. Additionally, in 2018, the UK government challenged industry to achieve a 20% reduction in the calorie content of popular products by 2024, building upon existing measures such as sugar levies on soft drinks and the introduction of statutory health education in state schools. The UK’s Health and Care Act 2022 aims to further target advertising in the UK, banning in-store promotion of unhealthy food and introducing a 9pm watershed on advertising foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) to children. Under the Act, the new advertising restrictions were required to take effect from 1 January 2023. However, in December 2022, the government announced that it is delaying implementation of the policy, which will now come into force in October 2025.

Many have suggested that existing measures are insufficient to tackle the alarming rise in levels of obesity among children. Whilst UK strategies such as the network of clinics may have a positive impact, the National Obesity Forum have deemed the clinics insufficient to tackle the existing numbers, ending the government’s hope of meeting their target of halving childhood obesity by 2030, whilst Obesity Health Alliance have called for stronger action on food and drink with a levy on food companies. The government’s decision to delay the implementation of the advertising restrictions on HFSS food and drink has been strongly condemned by a wide range of stakeholders, with the campaign group Action on Salt describing the decision as “unethical”, highlighting the government’s own research assessing the impact of these restrictions, which suggests 20,000 fewer children would be living with obesity over a few years if the restrictions were enforced. Additionally, the Institute for Public Policy Research has drawn attention to the importance of addressing health disparities, suggesting that the current impact of wealth inequalities on childhood obesity runs counter to the government’s ‘levelling up’ rhetoric.

This symposium will provide an invaluable opportunity to improve understanding of the root causes of childhood obesity, bringing together stakeholders in order to discuss and evaluate existing efforts to tackle this growing public health challenge and assess what more can be done in this regard.

Register for this briefing via the Public Policy Exchange website.

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