Obesity levels among children starting their first year of school have increased to almost one in ten, according to new NHS figures published today. The National Child Measurement Programme, which measures the height and weight of school children in England each year, found that the proportion of four and five-year-olds who are obese rose to 9.6% […]

Around one in eight children aged between two and 10 in England are obese, an NHS survey published today found. New statistics show around one in seven children (15%) aged between two and 15 were obese in 2022 – similar to 2019 (16%). Obesity rates in 2022 were 12% among those aged between two and 10, […]

The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme is helping patients referred to the service to lose over 8 pounds, new research shows today.   A new peer reviewed paper, published today in The Obesity Journal, shows that 63,937 people were referred to the scheme in its first year with 50% taking up the offer and enrolling onto the […]

Professor Simon Kenny, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Children and Young People, said: “These figures will be as alarming to parents as they are to the NHS – obesity affects every human organ system, and so at a young age can have a major impact on a child’s life, increasing their risk of type […]

The number of visits to the NHS website’s running programme is expected to quadruple in the first week of January as people attempt to achieve their new year’s resolutions. Figures from NHS England, which runs the NHS website, show that visits to the Get running with Couch to 5K page received 51,900 visits in the first week […]

Thousands more children and young people who are severely obese will receive intensive support from the NHS, with 10 new specialist clinics set to open across England. The new services will launch this year, bringing the total to 30 clinics that are able to provide expert help to children and their families which can prevent […]

People struggling to lose weight will now be offered help from their local high street pharmacy as part of the NHS’s radical action to tackle rising obesity levels and type 2 diabetes. Community pharmacy teams can now refer adults living with obesity, and other conditions, to the twelve-week online NHS weight management programme. People are […]

Problem drinkers and smokers who end up in hospital will be helped by dedicated new services as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. As part of new NHS prevention measures, people who are alcohol dependent will be helped by new Alcohol Care Teams, while more than half a million patients who smoke, including pregnant […]

Every NHS hospital has agreed to cut sales of sugary drinks on their premises as part of NHS England action to curb rising levels of obesity. All 227 trusts across England have pledged to reduce sales of sugar-sweetened drinks to 10% or less of their total drinks sales. Growing numbers of hospitals have signed up […]

Action by NHS England has slashed the sale of sugary drinks in hospitals, new data has revealed. Last year chief executive Simon Stevens challenged trusts to reduce the sale of sugar-filled drinks to 10 per cent or less of those bought on the premises. Nine out of ten trusts have now acted, and the proportion […]