A PUBLIC health expert says there is “no quick fix” to tackle the rising problem of childhood obesity in the district – and the Covid-19 crisis has made it worse.

Latest figures show children are more likely to be obese when they leave Bradford-district primary schools than they were a decade ago.

And a new report from Public Health England (PHE) looking back over the last ten years has concluded there is a strong link between obesity and the poorest areas in the country.

NHS Digital data shows 28 per cent of year-six pupils in Bradford district were classed as obese in 2019-20, up from 20 per cent in 2009-10.

And it was a similar picture for children in reception, with the proportion who were obese increasing slightly to 11 per cent in 2019-20, from nine per cent a decade before.

Across England, obesity among year-six pupils rose from 19 per cent in 2009-10 to 21 per cent in 2019-20.

In its report, PHE said rising levels of childhood obesity in deprived areas were offsetting progress seen in more-prosperous areas. Bradford has one of the highest proportions of England’s most deprived neighbourhoods, according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation – a measure of living conditions based on factors including health.

Rose Dunlop, public health consultant for Bradford Council, said it’s a growing problem nationally – not just in Bradford district – and the last year of Covid-19 restrictions has “amplified the issue”.

She said: “The council is working with multiple partners and community members to put in place the wide range of measures needed to turn this trend. There is, however, no quick fix to the complex issue. There is a strong correlation between deprivation and obesity, and the Bradford district has the largest gap between the most and least deprived districts of anywhere in the country.

“In the past, we have focussed on giving parents the support they need to help their children on an individual basis as it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure our children have a healthy, balanced diet and the appropriate levels of exercise.

“We are now looking at how we can change environmental factors like improving green spaces and active travel routes, helping parents cook and reducing the reliance on low-cost takeaways.”