A third of local children overweight

Latest figures have revealed almost one in three primary school children in Lincolnshire are overweight or obese

More than one in four primary school children in Lincolnshire are overweight or obese, according to the latest NHS figures.

New statistics published by the Child Measurement Programme have revealed 31% of all reception and Year 6 school pupils in Lincolnshire are tipping the scales at a level that’s classed as unhealthy.

In total that’s 1,139 reception children classed as overweight and 802 classed as obese, while the numbers grow even higher by Year 6 where 1,151 children in the county are overweight and 1,630 obese.

That’s above the national average for England, where 29% of primary school children are classed as overweight or obese.

The figures come as former Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies called for the Government to take tougher action on obesity by banning snacking on public transport, putting extra taxes on unhealthy foods, and tighter rules on advertising and takeaways.

In South Kesteven, 30% of primary school children are overweight or obese.

That’s 266 (15%) of reception children who are overweight and 169 (11%) children who are obese.

The level of obesity in the district rises dramatically by Year 6 to 290 children (19%). The number of overweight children is slightly lower than at reception age at 227 (14.5%).

In Boston, 34% of reception and Year 6 pupils are overweight or obese, which is more than one in three of all primary pupils

Year 6 pupils figures are the highest with 41% of 10 and 11-year-olds now overweight or obese – which is 337 in total and amounts to two out of every five children.

That’s one of the highest levels in the country.

While 14% of Year 6 pupils in Boston are overweight, some 27% are obese.

The figure includes 50 kids (6% of all Year 6 pupils in the area) who are severely obese, meaning they have a BMI of 40 or more.

That would be the equivalent of a 4ft 8in boy – the average height for a 10 year old – weighing in at nearly 13 stone.

Meanwhile, more than a quarter of all Reception children in Boston are also overweight or obese, with 14% overweight and 13% obese.

More than 3% of all four- and five-year-olds in the area are severely obese.