More than a quarter of children are on diets, including those of a healthy weight, new research suggests. A study involving more than 34,000 youngsters in England found a rise in the proportion of children as young as eight trying to shed the pounds.
Data was analysed from 34,235 children aged eight to 17 that had been recorded as part of the Health Survey for England from 1997 to 2016. It found a “significant increase over time” in the proportion of children reporting weight loss attempts, from 21.4% in 1997/98 to 26.4% in 2015/16.
The rise was from 5.3% (one in 20 children) to 13.6% (one in seven) among those who were a healthy weight. Likewise, there was a jump from 9% to 39.3% for children trying to diet who were overweight, and from 32.9% to 62.6% for those who were obese.
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