Primary 1 BMI Data 2022 – Media Statement

20 December 2022
Today Public Health Scotland published Primary 1 BMI statistics for the 2021/22 school year. They show that the number of children with a healthy weight in Scotland has increased compared to last year’s data, however, proportions of children at risk of developing overweight and obesity are still higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, just under a quarter of Primary 1 children (24%) were recorded as being at risk of overweight and obesity – around 6 children in a classroom of 24. The percentage of children at risk of developing obesity alone is now 12% which is a decrease from last year (16%*).

However, the data for 2021/22 is higher when compared to pre-pandemic figures.  In the last measurement before the pandemic (2019/20) 23% of children were at risk of overweight and obesity (10% were at risk of obesity). This highlights that there is still an overall upward trend in children’s weights over the past two to three years.

The relationship between social inequalities and children’s weight is also still very clear. In 2021/22, children from the most deprived backgrounds were over twice as likely to be at risk of developing obesity compared to the least deprived children (15% vs 7%).

*The number of children included in this year’s data (92%) is significantly higher than last year (38%) due to disruptions to measurement caused by the pandemic. Data from 2020/21 were also slightly under-representative of children from the least deprived backgrounds (SIMD 5). However, today’s report highlights that the lower rates of measurement do not account for all the changes seen in this year’s data, and it is likely that the child BMI distribution has been impacted directly by factors associated with the pandemic period.

 

Lorraine Tulloch, Programme Lead at OAS said:

“All our children deserve a healthy life but at the moment 1 in 4 of our Primary 1 children have a higher weight than is recommended.  We are not seeing the promised reduction in rates of childhood obesity and today’s statistics highlight the stark fact that living in a deprived area more than doubles a child’s risk of developing obesity.  Scottish Government must transform the food environment and deliver on their commitments to tackle promotion and outdoor advertising of unhealthy foods, and improve the out of home sector.  These steps would help give children the healthy future they deserve.”

 

Read the full Primary 1 BMI report from Public Health Scotland here.