Previous / Table of indicators / Next
14 A reduction in the proportion of children aged 2 to 10 years who are obese (England).
Baseline and trends: Baseline year – 1997. Since the baseline there has been a clear upward trend in the prevalence of obesity among all children aged 2 to 10. Overall, levels of obesity were similar for both boys and girls aged 2 to 10 when the baseline was set. Boys, obesity was higher in 2004 at 16.2 per cent in 2004, with girls at 11.9 per cent. However in 2005 both boys and girls reported similar obesity levels of about 16.7 percent.
| 1995 | 1996 | Baseline 1997 |
1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | 9.6% | 11.0% | 11.1% | 10.0% | 16.1% | 12.2% | 13.5% | 15.2% | 14.9% | 16.2% | 16.6 |
| Girls | 10.3% | 10.2% | 10.7% | 9.8% | 13.0% | 11.8% |
12.7% | 15.8% | 12.5% | 11.9% | 16.7 |
| All | 9.9% | 10.6% | 10.9% | 9.9% | 14.6% | 12.0% | 13.1% | 15.5% | 13.7% | 14.3% | 16.7 |
| Note: The 1998 figures have seen slight revisions since the last Opportunity for all report. | |||||||||||
Definition: Children aged 2 to 10 are classified as obese if their body mass index score lies above the 95th percentile of the UK reference curves (referred to as the national body mass index classification). Further details on the classification are available in the technical annex in the Obesity among children under 11 report at: www.dh.gov.uk/en/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_4109245
There is no generally agreed definition of childhood obesity, but there are two widely used indicators: 1) international classification – based on reference points derived from an international survey; and 2) national body mass index percentile classification – based on the UK 1990 reference curves (as used here).
Although the figures produced by the two different definitions differ considerably (obesity estimates derived using the national body mass index percentiles classification are much higher than those derived by the international classification), the overall trends are not affected by the definition used.
Data source: The Health Survey for England is an annual survey that is designed to monitor the nation’s health. Every year around 16,000 adults and 4,000 children, representative of the whole population, are interviewed.
Further information
Health Survey for England - updating of trend tables to include 2005 data.
http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/health-survey-for-england/health-survey-for-england--updating-of-trend-tables-to-include-2005-data
Further data on childhood obesity from the Health Survey for England can be found in the Obesity among children under 11 report at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_4109245
Forecasting obesity to 2010
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_4138630
Raising the Issue of Weight in Children and Young People
www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/45/44/04134544.pdf 
Research Evidence
“Measuring Childhood Obesity: Guidance to Primary Care Trusts”
www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/64/06/04126406.pdf