The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a mandatory annual programme that measures the height and weight of all school children in reception and year 6 in England. It helps local authorities and their partners to plan and invest in services to tackle obesity and its wider determinants. It also provides feedback to parents about their child’s weight status and healthy lifestyle choices.
Data collected as part of the NCMP shows that, nationally, obesity prevalence among children in reception and year 6 is unacceptably high, and that there are significant inequalities by deprivation and ethnicity. Children who are obese (also referred to as ‘very overweight’) are more likely to suffer from physical, mental and social health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, depression, bullying and weight stigma. They are also more likely to become adults living with obesity.
This web-page will summarise NCMP information at a national level and also highlight key findings within the East Riding.
National update for 2022/23
Key points relating to the latest national picture for NCMP can be found below.
- Obesity prevalence in children: Obesity prevalence in Reception and Year 6 children decreased from 2021/22 to 2022/23, but remained higher than in 2018/19 and 2019/20.
- Gender differences in obesity: Boys had higher obesity prevalence than girls in both age groups, with the largest gap in Year 6 (25.1% vs 20.1%).
- Deprivation and obesity: Children living in the most deprived areas had twice as high obesity prevalence as those living in the least deprived areas, for both Reception and Year 6.
- Underweight prevalence in Year 6: Underweight prevalence in Year 6 children increased from 1.5% in 2021/22 to 1.6% in 2022/23, the highest rate since 2009/10.
Further detail is available from the NHS England National Child Measurement Programme 2022/23 page.
East Riding of Yorkshire update for 2022/23
This section summarises a number of key points relating to the NCMP and the East Riding in 2022/23. The PDF file below contains a number of pages and can either be viewed directly below or downloaded using the buttons provided.
Key Points gained from within the document:
- BMI categories of children in East Riding: Most East Riding children were a healthy weight (76.7% for reception year and 63.2% for year 6), whilst obesity prevalence reduced from the previous year to 9.1% and 21.4% (reception year and year 6 respectively). The East Riding prevalence of all the BMI categories (underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obese) for both school year cohorts was largely similar to the region and national averages (except for a significantly lower rate of underweight children).
- Obesity trends and gender differences in East Riding: Obesity trends in East Riding have been increasing over time, despite a reduction in the latest year, for both reception year and year 6 children. In year 6, males have a significantly higher prevalence of obesity than females, while females have a higher prevalence of healthy weight. There were no significant differences in gender, within any of the BMI categories, for reception year children.
- Inequalities in obesity prevalence within different communities: There were significant inequalities in obesity prevalence among year 6 children within the different communities of the East Riding. Wards within Bridlington and Goole had the highest obesity rates, while the wards with the lowest obesity rates were generally the least deprived. The obesity gap between the most and least deprived East Riding communities has been widening over time.