Obesity increasing among poor Brit kids

LONDON, July 5 (UPI) -- Children under age 5 who live in Britain's poorest neighborhoods are four times more likely to be obese than affluent children, health officials say.

One in six children from Stockon-on-Tees, an economically poor community in northeastern England, were found to be so obese their health was at risk by the time they entered primary school, national Department of Health statistics showed.

In the wealthy district of Adur, Sussex, however, just one in 25 children was reported clinically obese by age 5, The Sunday Telegram reported.

"The evidence is mounting that obesity starts early -- even in the first year of life," said Tam Fry, a spokesman for the National Obesity Forum. "What many parents will consider puppy fat usually stays with children for their lives and leads to untold health problems."

After Stockton-on-Tees, the highest rates of obesity among 5-year-olds were found in parts of Merseyside, east London and North Yorkshire.

"In many of these cases we are talking about single mothers trying to live on low incomes by using cheap convenience foods," Fry said.