Simple methods that helped Leeds become first UK city to reverse childhood obesity

Leeds has bucked the trend and become the first city in the UK in many years to reverse its childhood obesity rate.

The improvement has been particularly noticeable among the most deprived children, who tend to score highly in obesity rankings elsewhere.

A programme encouraging a combination of authoritative parenting while still giving children a degree of choice has been hailed as the key to the city’s success

Since 2009, the number of reception aged children classed as obese in Leeds fell from 9.4 per cent to 8.8 per cent, while levels remained unchanged at 9.8 per cent in similar cities.

While children of all socio-economic backgrounds felt the change, the drop affected the most deprived children of Leeds with levels falling from 11.5 per cent to 10.5 per cent.

These may seem like small changes, but it is the only example in recent years of a fall in childhood obesity rates across the UK.

The figures are based on the NHS National Child Measurement programme which logs obesity levels in children in reception and year six in England.

In the 2017/2018 school year, 9.5 per cent of reception children and 20 per cent of year six kids in England were classed as obese.

The East London boroughs of Dagenham and Barking shot well above the average with 30 per cent of its year six students passing the obesity threshold.

Amsterdam is another success story but is an exception to the rule, with very few cities actually managing to cut their childhood obesity levels.

While there is no straightforward answer, much of the credit has gone to national charity Henry (Health Exercise Nutrition for the Really Young).

Since 2008 it’s worked with Leeds city council delivering programmes and training at children’s centres, nurseries, and other family settings.

Their emphasis is to encourage the right attitudes right from the start, paying extra attention to parents of children aged up to five who are more likely to be in regular contact with health and council professionals.

Henry senior data officer Amyus Bale told metro.co.uk: ‘Generally if children start school already overweight or obese their chance of becoming overweight or obese as an adult are already much higher.

‘The research shows that an obese five-year-old has a one in 20 chance of returning to a healthy weight at 11.’

Nationally one in 10 children are obese by the time they start primary school and two thirds stay that way by the time they move on to secondary school.

In a bid to encourage a healthy lifestyle as early as possible, the charity does a lot of work with breastfeeding mothers and children who are moving on to solid foods.

Amyus says the trend of more fast food takeaways and fewer healthy options in poorer areas means the charity and the council has worked hard to get to ‘the most vulnerable and the hardest to reach families’ in Leeds.

The idea behind Henry’s teaching is to encourage authoritative rather than authoritarian parenting.

Parents are still very much in charge and are encouraged to take sweets and crisps off the table, but rather than making their kids resent them by dictating what they’re having, they’re urged to give them an element of choice.

Amyus added: ‘It’s making sure that both choices you offer are something you want for your children but making it a genuine choice.

‘The other extreme is just saying, “you’re having carrots” and putting it in front of them. The child is not involved in what they’re eating. Children are much more likely to reject something if it’s thrust upon them.’

Amyus says this school of thought can be applied to other aspects of parenting including exercise and limiting time spent in front of screens.

Chair of Leeds Health and Wellbeing Partnership Cllr Rebecca Charlwood said: ‘In Leeds we are committed to improve the health of the poorest the fastest in recognition that ill health typically reduces income and life chances.

‘We are therefore very pleased to see this decline . We also recently signed the Healthy Weight Declaration for Leeds, and are determined to use a broad range of strategies to help people in the city make healthy choices, whatever their age.’