CHILDREN BORN since the 1980s are three times more likely than older generations to be obese, a new study by University College London has found.
Prof Rebecca Hardy and her colleagues studied data from more than 56,000 people born in Britain between 1946-2001. They discovered obesity is becoming is more common and appearing earlier in life. This is a concern because obese children often go on to become obese adults.
Although other research has indicated that child obesity rates are leveling off among the under 10s, obesity is seen as one of the biggest problems of the modern era. This is because obesity carries an increased risk of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Two thirds of adults are overweight or obese, and children with obese parents are much more likely to have weight problems. The latest figures for England have found that a fifth of children joining primary school are now overweight or obese.
