Working class children suffer greater risk of obesity

Children from the lower classes are more likely to become obese than peers from wealthier backgrounds, a report has found.

At present 6.9% of boys and 7.4% of girls are classified as obese in the UK, but could be set to soar to 10% of boys and 8.9% of girls by 2015.

However, the divide between classes could expand as obesity rates for girls from professional and lower classes are set to diverge, say the researchers from University College London.

By 2015 up to 11.2% of lower class girls could be obese, with just 5.4% from professional backgrounds. Although the trend is set to increase for all boys, again the lower classes will see a greater jump with 10.7% compared to 7.9%.

Recent reports had suggested that obesity rates for England were slowing down and even leveling-off, but this new data shows it maybe largely due to the professional classes reducing their obesity levels.

There is currently just a 0.6% and 1.5% difference between boys and girls in the two class groupings.