Childhood Obesity in England Reaches Highest Level Since Pandemic, New Data Reveal
Key Takeaways:
- One in ten children aged four to five in England are living with obesity, the highest rate since the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Teachers warn that poverty, limited access to nutritious food, and cuts to school sport funding are fuelling the crisis.
- Nearly all teachers agree that healthy eating improves pupil focus, energy, and behaviour, yet many report children arriving at school hungry.
Childhood obesity at record levels outside pandemic years
Newly released data from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) show that 10.5% of children aged four to five (Reception year) in England are living with obesity – the highest prevalence recorded outside of the pandemic period.
The NCMP, which annually measures the height and weight of primary school pupils, also found that more than one in five pupils in Year 6 (aged 10–11) are living with obesity. The findings indicate that boys are more likely to be overweight or obese than girls.
In Reception year, 13% of children were classified as overweight, meaning that almost one in four children in this age group are either overweight or living with obesity.
Excluding the sharp increase seen during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, these figures represent the highest obesity prevalence in Reception year since records began in 2006–07 and mark a rise from 9.6% in 2023–24.
Schools feeling the strain
Lee Parkinson MBE, a primary school teacher from Manchester, said that systemic factors and funding cuts have worsened the situation.
“After the 2012 Olympics, school sport funding was cut, and the promise to ‘inspire a generation’ faded fast due to austerity measures,” he explained.
“Many primary schools lost specialist PE teachers and local competitions, and PE time is often squeezed as pressures on the timetable grow. You cannot separate childhood obesity from poverty either.
“Schools play their part through PE and lessons about healthy lifestyles, but they cannot solve this alone. We need to reinvest in early years support, rebuild affordable community sport, and make healthy choices realistic for all families, not just the privileged few.”
The link between nutrition, learning, and behaviour
A related report on children’s nutrition found that 94% of teachers believe healthy eating improves children’s behaviour. Teachers observed that better nutrition had tangible effects on classroom dynamics – with pupils demonstrating sharper focus, more energy, and improved behaviour.
The report underscored that nutritious food at school is not only essential for health and wellbeing but also for learning outcomes.
Hunger and food insecurity
Research from the Trussell Trust highlighted that around 9.3 million people in the UK, including three million children, experience food insecurity. Currently, one in four children under the age of five are at risk of needing to use a food bank.
Mr Parkinson reflected on the impact of poverty on pupils’ concentration: “Obviously with the poverty element, if children are coming into school hungry it will make it harder for them to concentrate.”
This problem is often exacerbated during school holidays, when free school meals are unavailable. Last summer, one in 12 parents reported that their children had to miss meals due to financial difficulties.
Mr Parkinson added: “I do not know if it is lack of knowledge or the fact that unhealthy food is easier to access or what families can afford. When parents are working long hours and struggling to make ends meet, healthy living becomes another impossible task.”
Teachers filling the gap
The majority of teachers (88%) said they had witnessed children arriving at school hungry, with 66% reporting that they had brought in food from home or purchased healthy food for pupils themselves.
Nearly all teachers surveyed (98%) agreed that nutrition forms a vital foundation for learning. However, 83% said it can be challenging to inspire children to make healthy eating choices, particularly when access to nutritious food is inconsistent outside of school.
Measuring the scale
In total, 1.1 million children across state-maintained schools were measured as part of the NCMP data collection for 2024–25.
Public health experts warn that the findings underline an urgent need for coordinated national action to address the intertwined challenges of obesity, poverty, and food insecurity among children in England.
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GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs Linked to First National Decline in Obesity Rates, Survey Finds
Key Takeaways:
- The U.S. adult obesity rate has dropped from 39.9% to 37% over three years, coinciding with a rapid rise in GLP-1 medication use.
- Over 12% of adults now report taking injectable obesity drugs such as semaglutide or tirzepatide, more than double the proportion from early 2024.
- Experts warn that limited insurance coverage may soon hinder access, potentially reversing progress.
New survey suggests decline in U.S. obesity rates
The proportion of adults living with obesity in the United States has declined for the first time in years, according to a new Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index survey. The findings suggest that the surge in the use of injectable obesity drugs may be driving this shift.
The survey reported that 37% of U.S. adults are currently living with obesity, compared with a peak of 39.9% three years ago. Researchers attribute much of this reduction to the growing uptake of GLP-1 receptor agonists, a class of highly effective weight loss drugs that include semaglutide and tirzepatide.
Use of GLP-1 medications has more than doubled
The number of people using GLP-1-based treatments such as Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide), or Zepbound and Mounjaro (tirzepatide), has more than doubled over the past 18 months. According to Gallup, 12.4% of respondents reported using these drugs, up from 5.8% in February 2024, when the organisation first began tracking their use.
GLP-1 receptor agonists, which mimic a naturally occurring hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar, were first approved for obesity treatment in 2021. Their mechanism of action involves acting on the brain and gut hormones to suppress hunger and slow digestion, helping individuals sustain weight loss.
A watershed in obesity treatment
Experts consider the introduction of GLP-1 receptor agonists to be a landmark in obesity treatment, following decades of limited progress through diet, exercise, and public health campaigns.
Gallup described the new generation of GLP-1 drugs as a “watershed in Americans’ long struggle to address obesity and related diseases.” Despite these advances, the survey also found that diabetes rates have reached a record high: 13.8% of adults reported having been diagnosed by a doctor or nurse. This highlights the scale of ongoing metabolic health challenges even as weight loss interventions improve.
Impact seen most among middle-aged adults and women
The data indicate that the reduction in obesity rates has been most notable among adults aged 40 to 64, a demographic more likely to use GLP-1 medications. Among those aged 50 to 64, obesity prevalence fell by 5.0 percentage points, reaching 42.8%.
The survey also noted differences by sex: women were more likely than men to use these medications and tended to report greater weight loss benefits. This aligns with previous clinical research showing that women are often more proactive in seeking medical support for weight management.
Access and affordability remain key challenges
Despite their effectiveness, access to GLP-1 drugs remains uneven and may worsen in the coming year. Dr Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity specialist at Harvard University, cautioned that while the correlation between increased access and reduced obesity rates is promising, it may not be sustainable if coverage declines.
“I would say this correlation happened for those that had great coverage, but it’s going to be pulled back,” she said.
Dr Stanford explained that several private insurers – including those covering most of her patients – are planning to stop covering GLP-1 medications as of next year. Without insurance, the cost of injections typically reaches around $500 per month out of pocket, she noted.
Although pharmaceutical companies are developing oral versions that may eventually reduce costs, Dr Stanford warned that these treatments will likely remain unaffordable for many in the short term.
“While drugmakers are working to bring potentially less-expensive pill versions to market, it likely still will put the treatments out of reach for many,” she said.
Slow but significant progress
While the findings do not confirm causation, they offer one of the first indications that the widespread use of GLP-1 receptor agonists could be contributing to measurable declines in obesity prevalence. Public health experts stress, however, that long-term trends will depend heavily on sustained access, equitable prescribing, and broader changes in lifestyle and preventive care.
For now, the data mark a tentative but meaningful turning point in the decades-long fight against obesity in the United States – a shift that could influence obesity strategies worldwide if sustained.
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