Healthy weight in children (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) provides the prevalence of 'underweight', 'healthy weight', 'overweight', 'obese' and 'overweight and obese combined' children, in Reception (aged 4 - 5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10 - 11 years).The following data is taken from the 15 / 16 dataset.

Definitions

• Excess weight is defined as a BMI centile greater than or equal to the 85th centile
• Obese is defined as a BMI centile greater than or equal to the 95th centile

Reception

• 25.6% of the reception aged children that were weighed were recorded as having excess weight. 
• This was slightly higher than the 2014 / 15 rate of 25.2%, higher than the regional rate of 24.6%, and significantly higher the England's rate of 22.1%.
• There was a slight increase in the obesity rate in reception aged children, rising 0.2 percentage points to 11.3%.
• South Tyneside had the third highest reception aged obesity prevalence in the region, with only Sunderland and Middlesbrough having a higher rate. The obesity prevalence was higher than the regional rate of 10.7%, and significantly higher than the national rate of 9.3%.

Year 6

• 38.1% of Year 6 children that were weighed were recorded as having excess weight. 
• This was lower than the 2014 / 15 rate of 39.3%, higher than the regional rate of 37.0%, and significantly higher the England's rate of 34.2%.
• There was a decrease in the obesity rate in year 6 children, dropping 1 percentage points to 22.0%.
• South Tyneside's had the second lowest Year 6 obesity prevalence in Tyne and Wear.
• The obesity prevalence was lower than the regional rate of 22.4%, however it was still higher than the national rate of 19.8%.

Current Trajectory

• The CAF and HWB strategy includes an excess weight target:
• Reduce childhood excess weight in  South Tyneside from 25.2% to 22% in 4 - 5 year olds.
• Reduce childhood excess weight in  South Tyneside from 39.3% to 35.1% in 10 - 11 year olds by 2020