In the past 10 years obesity in six year olds has doubled (to 8.5%) and trebled among 15 year olds (to 15%).
Source: Health Survey England 2001

Maturity-onset diabetes (type 2) is now being seen in school children who are obese – previously it was only seen in middle-aged and older adults.
Source: Health Survey England 2001

Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
Source: Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Postnote 2003, No 205, Childhood Obesity

Obesity levels in England have trebled in the past 20 years; currently around 24 million adults in the UK are overweight or obese, and levels are still rising.
Source: Health Survey England 2001

Obesity is increasing more rapidly in England than in other parts of Europe.
Source: Tackling Obesity in England, National Audit Office, 2001

The National Audit Office has projected that by 2010, one in four adults will be obese and the total cost to the NHS and economy will be around £3.6 billion.
Source: Tackling Obesity in England, National Audit Office, 2001

In 1998 an estimated 30,000 deaths were attributable to obesity. Obesity reduces life expectancy, on average, by nine years.
Source: Tackling Obesity in England, National Audit Office, 2001

The four most common chronic health problems linked to obesity are:

• heart disease
• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• osteoarthritis

There is also a clear link with some cancers.
Source: Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General HC 220 Session 2000-2001: 15 Feb 2001

Children in Britain eat on average only two portions of fruit and vegetables a day – with one in five eating no fruit at all.
Source: National Diet and Nutrition Survey, Young People, 1997

The average amounts of saturated fat and added sugars eaten by 4 to 18 year olds are above recommended levels.
Source: National Diet and Nutrition Survey, Young People, 1997

A significant proportion of older children had low levels of some vitamins and minerals (vitamin A, riboflavins, iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and potassium) in their diets.
Source: National Diet and Nutrition Survey, Young People, 1997

The consumption of fizzy drinks has almost doubled in the past 15 years. Young adults now drink an average of six cans each week.
Source: National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2002

Meals and snacks eaten outside the home tend to be higher in fat (with about 40% of calories coming from fat).
Source: National Food Survey 2000

In 2000 around 675 million restaurant meals were eaten in the UK (an increase of almost 13% since 1995).
Source: Chief Medical Officer, Annual Report 2002

There has been an increase in the consumption of fast foods. In 2001 around 2 billion meals were eaten at 'quick service' catering outlets in the UK.
Source: Chief Medical Officer, Annual Report 2002

The amount of energy in an average chicken nugget takeaway meal (707kcal per portion) is 30% higher than a traditional cooked meal (542kcal) and a quarter-pounder with cheese meal (826kcal) is 52% higher than a traditional cooked meal.
Source: McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, 6th edition

Sales of snacks and confectionery continue to rise in the UK, outstripping those in all other European countries.
Source: Chief Medical Officer, Annual Report 2002

Portion sizes are getting larger, particularly in 'energy-dense' snacks and fast foods. 'Supersizing' of fast foods is an increasingly popular trend in the UK.
Source: Chief Medical Officer, Annual Report 2002

Most fast foods have an extremely high energy density. Studies show that humans have a weak innate ability to recognise foods with a high energy density and to appropriately down-regulate the amount of food eaten in order to maintain energy balance. This induces so-called 'passive over-consumption'.
Source: Prentice AM and Jebb SA (2003) Fast foods, energy density and obesity: a possible mechanistic link

A king-size chocolate bar can provide around a fifth of the daily calorie needs of a 10 year old.
Source: Chief Medical Officer, Annual Report 2002

Schoolchildren in the UK are spending more than £1.3bn a year on food. Almost a third of their pocket money goes on snacks eaten while travelling to and from school. 84% of those who eat school meals say they enjoy them, with pizza ranking as their favourite dish.
Source: Survey by catering company Sodexho, 2002

A World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organisation expert group found:

• 'convincing' evidence that eating a lot of energy-dense foods is a risk factor for obesity
• heavy marketing of fast foods and drinking a lot of sugary drinks were 'probable' risk factors
• large portion sizes were a 'possible' risk factor

Source: Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases, Joint WHO/FAO expert consultation, WHO, Geneva, 2002

In England, 4 out of 10 boys and 6 out of 10 girls are not meeting the hour-a-day physical activity for children, as recommended by the then Health Education Authority.
Source: National Diet and Nutrition Survey, 2000

18% of parents never encourage their children to take any physical activity.
Source: British Heart Foundation survey 2001

Children spend on average 11.4 hours a week watching TV or video, 7.5 hours on sport/exercise and 4.4 hours playing computer games.
Source: Young People and Sport in England 1999, Sport England/MORI

About 2 million deaths a year are directly attributed to physical inactivity.
Source: World Health Organization

Obese and overweight young people are at risk from raised blood pressure, atherosclerosis and maturity-onset diabetes.

• Obese and overweight young people are more likely to have higher blood pressure.
• By the age of twenty, one in three young people will have fatty deposits in the walls of their arteries (atherosclerosis).
• Maturity-onset diabetes (or type 2) is now being seen in school children who are obese – previously it was only seen in middle-aged and older adults.

A deficiency in nutrients can lead to:

Anaemia (iron deficiency)

• The average daily consumption of iron in 45% of 11 to 14 year-old and 50% of 15 to 18 year-old girls was below recommended levels. This means it was below the Lower Reference Nutrient Intake, defined as the amount of a nutrient considered to be sufficient only for the small number of individuals with low nutrient needs. Most individuals will need to consume more than this.
• For girls, the tendency to diet and eat a vegetarian diet, coupled with the onset of menstruation, can adversely affect iron status.
• It has been suggested that iron deficiency is linked to poor academic achievement.

Poor bone growth (low calcium and vitamin D status)

• The two nutrients that are particularly related to bone health are vitamin D and calcium.
• 12% of boys and 24% of girls aged 11 to 14, and 9% of boys and 19% of girls aged 15 to 18 consumed, on average, less calcium a day than recommended levels.
• 13% of 11 to 18 year olds had poor vitamin D status.

Tooth decay

• Tooth decay is one of the most common childhood diseases in the UK.
• 51% of 11 to 14 year olds and 67% of 15 to 18 year olds had dental decay.
• The main cause of dental decay is the sugar found in foods commonly consumed by young people, such as soft drinks, confectionery and cakes.