Obesity is a major health problem for people living in the UK, and it currently affects many children. Precise reasons for this are unclear, but poor diet coupled with lack of exercise seem important.
Obesity is now known as a worldwide epidemic (WHO, 2003) and has been predicted to become the largest drain on health service resources in the UK in the near future. Nonetheless, there are 14 million overweight school-age children in the European Union (EU), of whom three million are obese (International Obesity Taskforce, 2004a). The number of overweight children in the EU is rising by around 400,000 per annum, of whom 85,000 are obese (International Obesity Taskforce, 2004b).
In the UK, there are approximately one million obese individuals who are less than 16 years of age (Educari, 2004). Butriss (1995) showed through A survey
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Kelder, et al., 1994; Nicklas, 1995; Steptoe et al., 1995). Indeed, because the severity of childhood obesity increases the risk of obesity throughout the growing age of the child, the persistence of childhood obesity into adulthood is the most significant concern (NICE, 2006).The risk factor of a number of chronic diseases in adult life such as heart disease, osteoarthritis, and some cancers are linked to childhood obesity (British Medical Association, 2005). Likewise, psychological problems such as rejection, shame, depression and stress are also more likely to occur in obese children than non-obese children (Reilly, 2003).
The UK Government has reacted to increasing childhood obesity with a Public Service Agreement goal to stop the year-on-year increase in obesity among children below the age of 11 by 2010 (Department of Health, 2007a). The present measure is aimed at primary school children in the reception year (ages 4–5 years) and (ages 10–11 years) by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) (Department of Health,