One in four Jersey children aged 4-5 overweight or obese - report

The report says there's been a slight increase since 2017 but that figures are similar to those in the UK

A quarter of Jersey children aged between four and five are overweight or obese, according to a new report.

The Public Health report indicates this slight increase since 2017 is similar to the figures in the UK.

Report authors collect information about the height and weight of Jersey's reception age children, to monitor development.

They also found children living in towns are more likely to be overweight or obese than those in the country.

Levels of obesity in reception-aged children was marginally lower in 2022/2023 (9%) compared to the previous year (12% in 2021/2022), the report says.

It found the proportion of reception children classified as overweight or obese increased to 27% between 2017/2019 and 2021/2023, having remained at around 20% over the previous 20 years.