More than half of Middlesbrough’s neighbourhoods see more than 40% of children being either overweight or obese by the time that they reach year six.
The figures, shared with Middlesbrough councillors at a scrutiny panel meeting on Monday 8 September, show that there is an increase in the number of kids who are either overweight or obese as they progress from reception age to the end of their primary school life.
Every single electoral ward in Middlesbrough sees an increase in the overweight/obesity rate in the figures recorded at year six compared to when children begin life at primary school, although the levels of increase in different wards vary drastically.
Speaking to councillors, Lindsay Cook (health improvement manager at Public Health South Tees) and Mark Fishpool (programme director at You’ve Got This), set out the problems and potential solutions, but highlighted how change could not simply happen overnight.
The most consistent ward is North Ormesby – at reception class, the ward claims the unwanted title in the whole of Middlesbrough, with 35.3% of its pupils recorded as either overweight or obese, the highest rate out of the town’s 20 wards.
When measurements are taken once again, at the end of a child’s time at primary school, 36.3% of the kids in North Ormesby clock in as either overweight or obese – this is only a marginal increase, while many wards see a near-20 percentage point up-tick in the number of students at an unhealthy weight.
The statistics also means that North Ormesby sees the greatest disparity in the league table rankings, falling from the worst-affected as kids begin their time in education to the fourth least affected out of all of Middlesbrough wards when pupils leave primary school. Come year six, the most heavily hit ward is Ayresome, where 48.4% of pupils are either overweight or obese, with Brambles & Thorntree (47.6%) and Longlands & Beechwood (47.0%) suffering similar levels.
Ms Cook said: “Obesity is more prevalent in our more deprived wards.” 12 out of Middlesbrough’s 20 wards are all in the top quintile when it comes to deprivation, meaning that they are some of the worst affected.
Image: You’ve Got This
Marton West and Nunthorpe are the only two wards in Middlesbrough that are rated in the bottom quintile when it comes to deprivation (meaning they are the least deprived). These two wards also have the lowest rates of children who are either overweight or obese, with Nunthorpe by far the healthiest ward both at reception age (16.9% overweight or obese) but also when kids leave primary school (25.9% overweight or obese).
2023/24 statistics demonstrate that the rates of obesity and severe obesity in children across the town are higher than the North East average and significantly higher than rates across England. Similarly, the rate of overweight/obese adults is higher in Middlesbrough than the average levels across both the North East and England.
Ms Cook set out how the data is collected, explaining that the National Childhood Measurement Programme is a mandated function of public health, and it happens every year. The figures she shared with councillors had been amalgamated over a three year period (academic years 2021/22-2023/24).
Ms Cook added: “There’s been 30 years of UK government policy, with a raft of strategies… there’s been 689 policies, but this has not resulted in any reduction of obesity and that’s predominantly because these policies are focussed on it being the responsibility of the individual and that individual to make that behaviour change.” Mr Fishpool added that such an approach alone does not bring about the changes that are wanted.
Ms Cook said: “And what we know now, again through evidence and research is actually, it’s the external factors that have a significant impact on the levels of obesity is because it contributes to choices that people make, in terms of whether it’s easy to be physically active, whether it’s easy to access good food choices.”
Mr Fishpool meanwhile described tackling obesity as a “complex problem” like raising a child. He said: “Although behaviour change happens with an individual, the factors that influence that change are far more complex. They’re about the social environment in which a person lives, what their friends, their family do, what they see on social media. It’s about the way in which organisations engage with them.”
He continued listing numerous other factors, adding: “It’s only by aligning all of those, can you bring about the behaviour changes that we want to see.” The “whole systems approach” was then discussed, with Ms Cook highlighting the healthy weight declaration, but adding that things are not going to change overnight.
