One in every five children in Rochdale is obese before leaving primary school

Childhood obesity rising

One in every five children aged 10 or 11 in Rochdale is obese, shocking new analysis by Public Health England shows.

Height and weight measurements show the number of children in Rochdale classed as obese rose from 871 in reception to 1,740 by the time they leave primary school.

Under the government’s national child measurement programme, the weight and height of all children is measured they start and leave primary school.

Figures from 2016/17 showed that almost one in 10 Rochdale children aged four or give were classed as obese.

Among children in Year 6 in Rochdale, 21.6% were obese in 2014 to 2015 up to 2016 to 2017, above England’s 19.6%.

In 2014 to 2015 up to 2016 to 2017, Norden had the lowest rates of obesity in the Rochdale borough with 15.8%, closely followed by Littleborough Lakeside (17.3%). The highest instances were recorded in West Heywood (26.0%) and West Middleton (25.3%).

The prevalence of obesity in Year 6 pupils increased across several wards in the borough, including Healey, Milnrow and Newhey, North Heywood, North Middleton, Smallbridge and Firgrove, Wardle and West Littleborough, and West Middleton. Most wards recorded their lowest levels in 2008 to 2009 up to 2010 to 2011.

Locally, 9.9% of children in reception were obese in 2014 to 2015 up to 2016 to 2017, higher than the national average of 9.3%. For the same time period, Spotland and Falinge and Wardle and West Littleborough recorded their highest levels of obesity since 2008 to 2009 (9.5% and 9.0%, respectively, whereas South and East Middleton both had their lowest ratings (8.0% and 9.4%, respectively).

Figures were highest for Rochdale reception children in 2009 to 2010 up to 2011 to 2012, when 10.3% of children were obese.

Reception children in Norden and Bamford and Wardle and West Littleborough have had the lowest levels of obesity in the borough from 2008 to 2009 up to 2010 to 2011.

For the same time period, wards with the most obese children of the same age have included Balderstone and Kirkholt, central, Healey, North Heywood and West Heywood.

Overall, for 2014 to 2015 up to 2016 to 2017, reception age children in Norden had the lowest prevalence of obesity in the borough (6.2%), and Kingsway had the highest prevalence (12.0%).