Children treated at NHS weight management clinics have high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and even early signs of heart disease.
Shocking NHS data on the most severely obese under-18s published for the first time shows 6,500 kids as young as four have needed treatment at the clinics since they were launched in England in 2021. Some 406 were given weight loss jabs with the youngest prescribed the powerful appetite suppressing injections being 11 years old.
Among those treated at the Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) clinics were 423 four-year-olds who weighed an average of 33kg (5st 3lbs) – more typical of a 10-year-old.
The findings laying bare the consequences of Britain’s childhood obesity crisis are being presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul.
View 2 ImagesObesity is increasingly recognised by experts as a metabolic disease (stock)(Image: Getty Images)
A sample of the children treated at the 39 specialist NHS clinics showed 17% had high blood pressure and 6% had already developed Type 2 diabetes. A further 17.5% of the kids had abnormal levels of fat in their blood, which can be a sign of early heart disease.
Kat Jenner, executive director at the Obesity Health Alliance, said: “These figures should be a wake-up call. All parents want their children to grow up healthy, yet seeing children as young as four needing specialist NHS treatment for their weight highlights just how early the drivers of poor health are taking hold.
“Children today are growing up surrounded by unhealthy food at almost every turn – online, on the high street, at home and beyond – leaving families struggling against a system that stacks the odds against healthier options.”
Since the first clinic opened they have now treated 6,497 of the most dangerously obese children in the country. They must have a body mass index above the 99.6 percentile. Some 29.3% had metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, 17% had obstructive sleep apnoea. Patients get diet plans, mental health support and lifestyle coaching.
Professor Simon Kenny, national clinical director for children and young people at NHS England, said: “Severe obesity can impact all aspects of a child’s life – affecting their physical health, mental wellbeing and confidence – so it is fantastic that NHS CEW clinics are helping thousands of children and young people turn their lives around.
“In some cases, these clinics are helping children who could otherwise face a life cut tragically short, dying decades too soon, to look ahead to a full and healthy life.”
Separate research presented at Europe’s major obesity conference shows kids treated at at the CEWs were an average of 10kg lighter two years later than comparable youngsters only seen by their GP or community health teams. Some 406 were prescribed weight loss jabs. The clinics are staffed by specialist doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and dietitian.
Dr Cath Homer, who worked on the study and is an associate professor in obesity at Sheffield Hallam University, said: ‘Severe childhood obesity remains a major public health challenge in England affecting 15% of children aged between 2 and 15.”
Previous research by life sciences consultancy Stradoo found a child who is living with severe obesity at age four and does not lose weight has a life expectancy of just 39.
Around one in four children in England start primary school overweight or obese, rising to more than one in three by the time they leave aged ten or 11.
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Dr Helen Stewart, office for health improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “It’s extremely concerning that we are seeing more and more children being treated at CEW clinics. Unfortunately, high levels of obesity continue to cause significant health problems in our young people
Kat Jenner added: “The fact that some children are already developing high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and early signs of heart disease at such a young age underlines why prevention has to begin in the earliest years of life. Healthier food should be easier, cheaper and more available for everyone, no matter where they live.”