Tuesday 11 October 2022
A report released today highlights that excess weight among Primary-school age children in the Bailiwick remains the same in 2022 as it was in 2019.
The Guernsey Child Measurement Programme (GCMP) began in 2013 and since then the heights and weights of children in school Years 1 and 5 have been recorded annually during the spring term, then analysed to allow population-level surveillance of weight status in children aged 5/6 years and 9/10 years. The only exception was in 2021 where children were not measured due to the Bailiwick being in our second lockdown.
This Public Health Services report details the results obtained from the ninth measurement year, 2022. These latest measurements were taken in Spring 2022 just as the Bailiwick was moving out of the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas the previous round of measurement was just before the pandemic began, in Spring 2020. These results are in line with those from previous measurement rounds.
Key findings of the report include:
- Of measured children in Year 1, 81.4% were found to have a healthy weight status. This dropped to 72.3% among measured Year 5s.
- Among those in Year 1, 17.7% (around one in six) of measured children had excess weight; 9.0% with overweight and 8.7% with obesity.
- Among those in Year 5, 26.7% (around one in four) of measured children had excess weight; 10.6% with overweight and 16.1% with obesity.
- In real terms, 1,144 were measured and 252 children were found to have overweight or obesity across the two year groups.
- Participation remained high at 87% despite a reduction due to absences (impact of
- COVID-19).
- There is not currently strong statistical evidence for any directional change in the levels of excess weight among children, although there are some early signs of an upward trend in excess weight for Year 1 and a downward trend for Year 5
Jenny Cataroche, Head of Health Intelligence, says of the findings:
'As in previous years we are encouraged by the high rate of participation in the 2022 measurement round which confirms that the Programme has become an accepted part of the school year. Importantly, the 2022 results, coming at the end of the main phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, show that at population level, there has been no measurable deterioration in the weight status of children in our measurement groups, compared to the results from immediately before the pandemic. Levels of excess weight remain a concern and highlight an ongoing need for action, but we must acknowledge that there is a certain achievement to holding the previous position, with no worsening, in what has been a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty for local children and families over the past three years.'
Dr Nicola Brink, Director of Public Health added:
'The Guernsey Child Measurement Programme is an important assessment of the health of our children, and we would like to thank children and their parents/carers for their participation as well as the schools who help the programme to run smoothly.
Importantly the findings of differences in overweight by school fee status hint that the Bailiwick conforms to the pattern seen in other places - namely that a child's broad socio-economic environment can lead to measurable differences in health indicators like weight status.'
Dr Simon Sebire, Chief Executive of The Health Improvement Commission, said:
'The Guernsey Child Measurement Programme is hugely informative for The Health Improvement Commission. It is encouraging that, unlike elsewhere, we have not seen childhood overweight and obesity levels increase during the main COVID-19 period, however the stable overall levels and the health inequality seen in the results show that childhood obesity remains one of the most serious health challenges faced locally.
'The drivers of body weight are complex and action to protect and enable children's health requires joined up and sustained work in many sectors from policy and planning, education, employers, to hospitality, retail and healthcare. The Health Improvement Commission is having success in enabling healthier food environments and more physical activity across many of these settings. But our work is only a part of the local solution that our children deserve, which must also involve addressing the socio-economic factors which shape their opportunities to be healthy.'
The report can be read in the downloads section of this page and at: Public Health Intelligence - States of Guernsey (gov.gg)