Children in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan have among the lowest rates of obesity in Wales

Children in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan have among the lowest rates of obesity anywhere in Wales, a new report has found.

The Child Measurement Programme, published by Public Health Wales, analysed the proportion of four and five-year-olds who are a healthy weight in different parts of the country in 2022-23.

Across Wales, almost three-quarters (74.3%) of children were considered a healthy weight, with 13.4% described as overweight (and not obese) and 11.4% obese. This was a “statistically significant improvement” on the data published before the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Cardiff and Vale UHB recorded the best figures of any Health Board in Wales, with 77.5% of four and five-year-olds categorised as having a healthy weight - an improvement on the 74.6% from the 2021-22 academic year.

Similarly, the proportion of children deemed overweight (and not obese) in Cardiff and Vale was 11.9%, while the level of obesity was 9.3%. Once again, these were both the best figures of any Welsh health board.

Here is a breakdown of the figures:

Percentage of children aged four and five considered a healthy weight

• Cardiff and Vale UHB: 77.5%

• Powys Teaching: 77.2%

• Aneurin Bevan UHB: 75.9%

• Swansea Bay UHB: 73.8%

• Betsi Cadwaladr UHB: 73.5%

• Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB: 72.0%

• Hywel Dda UHB: 70.5%

Percentage of children aged four and five considered overweight or obese

• Cardiff and Vale UHB: 21.2%

• Powys Teaching: 22.0%

• Aneurin Bevan UHB: 23.0%

• Swansea Bay UHB: 25.5%

• Betsi Cadwaladr UHB: 25.9%

• Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB: 26.9%

• Hywel Dda UHB: 28.9%

At local authority level, Cardiff (77.7%) and the Vale of Glamorgan (76.9%) came second and third respectively in terms of the proportion of four and five-year-olds deemed a healthy weight. Only Monmouthshire (79.6%) recorded better figures of the 22 council areas.

Across Wales, children living in the least deprived fifth of the population - according to postcode of residence - were less likely to be overweight or obese compared with all other deprivation fifths.

Encouragingly, in Cardiff and Vale UHB the gap in overweight and obesity levels between the most deprived and least deprived fifth has narrowed slightly in the last year. However, the report’s authors said this finding should be interpreted “with caution”.

When it came to gender, in the Vale of Glamorgan there was a higher proportion of obese girls (9.2%) compared with boys (7.4%) which was opposite to the Wales-wide trend of boys being more obese than girls. In terms of ethnic background, those who identified as Asian or Asian British had the highest rates of healthy weight or underweight combined, while the lowest levels were in communities that identified as Black, Black British, Caribbean or African.

Prevalence rates were calculated using the age and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) centiles calculated using the British 1990 growth reference (UK90) (from a method proposed by Cole et al 1995, cited in Dinsdale et al, 2011).

Claire Beynon, Executive Director of Public Health at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, has made reducing childhood obesity levels one of her main priorities since taking up the role in January 2024.

“Obesity has a considerable cost to the NHS, economy and society, and it impacts on both quality of life and life expectancy,” she said. “I am encouraged by the report’s findings for Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan, and it is testament to the range work being undertaken across the health board in conjunction with our many partners.

“Nevertheless, the proportion of children with obesity in Wales remains higher than those reported for England and Scotland, and that is a cause for concern. There remains a strong need to work on the prevention of obesity and severe obesity, targeting early years and areas of socio-economic disadvantage.”

One of the ways Cardiff and Vale aims to reduce and prevent childhood obesity is by delivering Public Health Wales’ Healthy and Sustainable Pre-school Scheme. This involves supporting pre-school settings to identify and implement health and wellbeing actions.

Settings which embrace the scheme are accredited and recognised for their contributions to promoting children’s physical, mental, social and emotional health. In the region, additional funding has been provided through the Prevention and Early Years grant to expand the scheme.

Other projects geared towards reducing childhood obesity rates in the region are QuickChange, an award-winning animation designed to get young children moving in their classroom, and Get Cooking courses which teach parents how to make nutritious meals on a budget for their families.

To read the Child Measurement Programme report in full, along with the key data, please go here.