Obesity levels among children are soaring, and more of them are getting diagnosed with type 2 diabetes - and the cost of living crisis could make it worse in the future, a charity has warned. Diabetes UK (diabetes.org.uk) says high levels of obesity - the proportion of four and five-year-olds in England who are obese increased by 46% between 2019/20 and 2020/21 - has led to a "concerning climb" in the number of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Healthier diets could help reduce obesity in children, and feeding a family nutritious food doesn't have to be expensive, stresses registered Aisling Pigott, dietitian and British Dietetic Association (bda.uk.com) spokesperson. While healthy eating doesn't have to cost the earth, Pigott says: "You've got to have the knowledge, the cooking materials, facilities and hygiene - and that's not always readily available to everybody.
"The first thing is increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables we're consuming. That often feels like it could be expensive, but there are lots of really affordable ways of doing it. Simple swaps can be made, that don't have to be painful for families."
