Fewer primary one children in Scotland at risk of obesity, study shows

Fewer primary one children in Scotland are at risk of obesity compared to the previous year, figures show.

Public Health Scotland data published on Tuesday showed 76.8% of the 48,995 P1 children assessed were considered to be in the healthy weight range in 2022-23.

More than a fifth of children (21.9%) were still at risk of overweight or obesity, while 1.3% were at risk of being underweight.

However, the proportion of children in the healthy weight category is now comparable to pre-pandemic levels, having decreased to 69.7% in 2020-21 and 74.7% in 2021-22.

This means that the number of children specifically at risk of obesity – 10.5% – in 2022/23 has also decreased from 11.7% in the previous year.

Figures are calculated using body mass index scores by dividing the child’s weight and height.

In 2022-23, children in the most deprived areas were twice as likely to be at risk of obesity (13.9%), than their more affluent counterparts (6.8%).

However, the figure has improved from 2021-22, where 15.5% of children in the most deprived communities were at risk of obesity, compared to 7.3% from the least deprived.

Some 89.3% of the estimated population of five-year-olds had a weight review conducted in 2022-23.

Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “It is encouraging that the percentage of children in primary one at risk of overweight and obesity has gone down in the last year to around pre-pandemic levels, but there is still work to do if we are to meet our aim of halving childhood obesity by 2030 and significantly reducing diet-related health inequalities.

“This is a public health priority, to ensure all children have a healthy diet and appropriate nutrition from birth, have a healthy weight, are encouraged to be physically active and have equal access to good quality healthcare.

“Since 2021, our Scottish milk and healthy snack scheme has been providing milk or a non-dairy alternative and a portion of fruit or vegetables in day care settings to help young children establish good nutrition before starting school, reinforcing our ambition to improve health outcomes for children and young people.”