A major new report co-authored by York academics shows regional inequalities in levels of children's food security and obesity.
Image: Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash.com.
The report - 'Hungry for Change: Tackling Obesity and Food Insecurity in the North of England' - reflects on the challenges and opportunities that shape children's health across the life course - from conception through to early adulthood.
Rising
Published by Health Equity North on behalf of the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), it also shows that food insecurity is rising across the country. This trend is being felt particularly hard in the North of England, which has seen a rise of 5.5% between 2019/20 and 2022/23, compared to 3.8% in the South.
As well as highlighting regional differences in childhood obesity, the report also shows links between poverty and obesity in childhood and urges policymakers to take on a range of measures to address these issues.
The report was led by Professor Maria Bryant, Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the University of York, and included other York based co-authors, Dr Kath Roberts, Rob Oxley and Behnam Tajik.
Urgently
Professor Bryant said: "Families across the country are telling us in no uncertain terms that they urgently need support. This is particularly true in the North, where families are more likely to live in high areas of deprivation, more likely to have food insecurity and more likely to have diet-related diseases, including childhood obesity and dental cavities. Addressing these issues should be a nationwide priority.
"There are measures we can take which can have a huge impact, including extending the provision of universal free school meals. However, this report makes it very clear that we must address a range of challenges from conception to adulthood to truly tackle the issue head on.
"For example, we also need to explore how to expand access to nutritious food nationwide, offer adequate social welfare support, and strengthen the help that families receive so that they feel supported, rather than judged."
Experience
The report also features first-hand experience of Penny Walters, a Food Foundation Ambassador who volunteers for community organisations to provide food budgeting and cooking advice.
She says that while voluntary food organisations like hers play a vital role, more needs to be done to help struggling households.
"Food insecurity has been a persistent reality for my family, shaped largely by inadequate welfare policies and the rising cost of living," she says.
"Over the years, the support we've received simply hasn't kept pace with inflation. Benefits have been cut or frozen, while food prices, rent, fuel, and basic household items have continued to rise sharply. As a result, accessing healthy and nutritious food has become increasingly difficult.
"Cooking from scratch is often presented as a solution, but it requires more than ingredients - it requires fuel, appropriate kitchen equipment, and knowledge. When even one of those elements is missing, families are left without real options."
The report's analysis shows:
- Food insecurity in households with children in the North rose 5.5% between 2019/20 and 2022/23, compared to 3.8% in the South
- Childhood obesity at reception age is higher than the England average (9.6%) in all three northern regions: 10.8% in the North East, 10.7% in Yorkshire and the Humber, and 10.1% in the North West. The highest is the West Midlands at 10.9%, and the lowest is 8.4% in the East of England
- Similarly at Year 6, prevalence of childhood obesity is also higher than the England average (22.1%) in the North: 24.5% in the North East, 23.3% in the North West and 23.6% in Yorkshire and the Humber - compared to the lowest prevalence in the South West at 19.1%
- The prevalence of obesity at reception age in England is more than twice as high in the most deprived areas (12.9%) as it is in the least deprived (6%), with severe obesity at 4.1% in the most deprived areas compared to 1.1% in the least
- The North-South divide in obesity at reception age is further evident at local authority level, with the highest prevalence in Hartlepool (13.9%) compared to the lowest in Wokingham (5.7%)
- Rates of children registered for means-tested free school meals are consistently higher in the North than the England average (25.7%) - with 32.3% in the North East, 28.9% in the North West and 27.8% in Yorkshire and the Humber. The lowest rates are 20.6% in the South East
- Communities in the North are more exposed to fast food outlets, with 69.9% of people living within 1 km of their nearest fast food outlet, with each individual an average of 676m away. This figure was 7.4% higher than in the South of England (62.5%), however this difference rises to 15.7% higher when London is excluded
- There has also been a sharp increase in the number of people in the North living within 1km of their nearest fast food outlet. This figure rose by 84% between 2016 and 2024 in the North, and more than doubled in the North East, compared to the South which saw a 60% increase.
