FIFTEEN per cent of 10 to 11 year-olds in Horsham are now so overweight they are officially classified as ‘obese.’
That’s according to shock figures released by NHS Sussex. And they show that obesity is rising. In 2007/8 the number of 10-11-year-olds in Horsham measured ‘obese’ was 13 per cent.
But, despite the shocking statistics, Horsham children are still healthier than the national average. Nationally, more than 18 per cent of children in that age bracket are registered obese.
Children in neighbouring Crawley have the highest levels of obesity in West Sussex, with 19 per cent of 10-11-year-olds in that bracket – up from 14 per cent three years ago.
Worryingly, younger children in Horsham are also at risk from being overweight, but fewer of them are continuing to go on adding weight as they grow older.
NHS Sussex figures show that more than six per cent of children aged between four and five in Horsham were classified as obese in 2009/10 – but that was down from nine per cent of children in Horsham who were measured as obese in 2007/8.
Nationally, 10 per cent of children aged between four and five were classed as obese in 2009/10.