Government must “stop dithering” and tackle childhood obesity crisis, says Labour

The Labour party has urged the government to “stop dithering” over introducing measures to tackle childhood obesity as the crisis shows no signs of slowing.

An analysis by Labour of NHS England’s latest figures show that almost 700 children under 16 were admitted to hospital because of obesity in 2018-19—the second highest number on record.1

The data show that less than half of children (47%) are currently meeting physical activity guidelines, and Labour warned that covid-19 lockdowns are likely to worsen childhood obesity levels, with a lack of exercise potentially leading to weight gain for many children.

Obesity and associated conditions such as …