Food insecurity and obesity: a North-South divide

A major new report looking at obesity and food insecurity in the North of England shows high levels of inequality across the region.

The report, ‘Hungry for Change’, shows links between poverty and obesity in childhood and highlights how food insecurity is rising across the country. This trend is being felt particularly hard in the North of England, where food insecurity has increased by 5.5 per cent between 2019/20 and 2022/23, compared to 3.8 per cent in the South.

Urgent need for health policies

Published by Health Equity North on behalf of the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), the findings highlight the urgent need for new health policies which can tackle these issues.

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The report shows that the prevalence of obesity at reception age in England is more than twice as high in the most deprived areas (13 per cent) as it is in the least deprived (six per cent), with severe obesity at 4 per cent in the most deprived areas compared to 1 per cent in the least.

Childhood obesity at reception age is higher in all three northern regions than the national average, with between 10 and 11 per cent of children in North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the North West classified as obese. This compares to the England average of 9.6 per cent and 8.4 per cent in the East of England, the lowest rate in the country.

Nearly a quarter of all primary pupils are obese in the North of England by Year 6, compared to a national average of 22 per cent, and the lowest prevalence in the South West of 19 per cent, underscoring the link between deprivation and poor health outcomes.

Children in the North are more likely to receive free school meals than in the South, and Northern communities face greater exposure to fast food, with 70 per cent of residents living within one kilometre of a fast-food outlet.

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Addressing food insecurity

The researchers argue that addressing food insecurity should be a nationwide priority, and the report outlines urgent and practical reforms to tackle these issues. These include improving access to healthy food, restricting the location of fast-food outlets near schools, tightening advertising regulations, and supporting community food initiatives.

Professor Maria Bryant, Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the University of York, said: ‘Families across the country are telling us in no uncertain terms that they urgently need support. This is particularly true in the North, where families are more likely to live in high areas of deprivation, more likely to have food insecurity and more likely to have diet-related diseases, including childhood obesity and dental cavities. Addressing these issues should be a nationwide priority.’

Measures to prevent childhood obesity and food insecurity should be implemented throughout a child’s life, from conception to adulthood, according to the researchers. Professor Bryant emphasised the need for a comprehensive and non-judgmental approach that addresses both childhood obesity and food insecurity within the context of regional inequality and poverty.

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She added: ‘There are measures we can take which can have a huge impact, including extending the provision of universal free school meals. We also need to explore how to expand access to nutritious food nationwide, offer adequate social welfare support, and strengthen the help that families receive so that they feel supported, rather than judged.’