‘Alarming’ rise in children trying to lose weight in England, say experts

Data was analysed from 34,235 children aged eight to 17, recorded as part of the Health Survey for England from 1997 to 2016. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images

One in four children in England are on diets, research suggests, with the proportion who are considered healthy but trying to lose weight almost tripling.

Britain is engulfed in a child obesity crisis, with one in four 10- and 11-year-olds officially obese.