Blackpool Council Annual Health Report 2019 Blackpool Council Annual Health Report PAGES | Page 27

Obesity is defined as excess body fat accumulation that may impair health. The
foundations of obesity start in childhood. The prevalence of obesity has trebled since the
1980s and well over half of all adults are either overweight or obese.
Over a quarter (27.1%) of children in Blackpool aged four/five years are overweight or
obese when they start school. The proportion of children who are overweight or obese
rises considerably during primary school years and 37.8% of today’s year six children living
in Blackpool are overweight or obese by the time they finish primary school at age 10-11
years compared to only 22.31% when they were in reception in 2011/2012. Within this
expansion in numbers, obesity increases 2.5 times and overweight remains at a similar
proportion. The prevalence of excess weight at year six is significantly higher than the
England average (34.3%) and there is evidence that rates in disadvantaged areas continue
to increase at a faster rate than less disadvantaged areas.
CHANGES IN PROPORTION OF BLACKPOOL CHILDREN IN
OBESE, OVERWEIGHT OR HEALTHY WEIGHT CATEGORIES
IN BETWEEN RECEPTION (2011/2012) AND YEAR 6
(2017/2018)
Reception (2011/12)
Obese
Year 6 (2017/18)
8.58% 22.58%
Overweight 13.72% 15.26%
Healthy or
underweight 77.69% 62.16%
HEALTHY WEIGHT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
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