Business Intelligence Hub
Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2032:
Performance Monitoring for September 2025 Board.
Indicator Trends – Healthy Weight
Author: CYC Business Intelligence Hub
Date: August 2025
Contents
Goal 5: Reverse the rise in the number of children and adults living with an unhealthy weight
% of reception year children recorded as being overweight (incl. obese) (single year)
% of children in Year 6 recorded as being overweight (incl. obese) (single year)
% of adults (aged 18+) classified as overweight or obese (New definition)
Goal 5: Reverse the rise in the number of children and adults living with an unhealthy weight.
% of reception year children recorded as being overweight (incl. obese) (single year)
The percentage of reception year children recorded as being overweight (incl. obese) has been recorded annually since 2007/08 through the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). The trend chart is shown below. Measurements for 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 are not considered reliable for York so have been excluded from the chart. Data from 2020/21 was not published at local authority level due the small number of children measured as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There is no clear trend in York for the percentage of reception year children recorded as being overweight (incl. obese). The most recent value in 2023/24 (22.8%) is similar to the value in 2007/08 (22.61%). Values have ranged from 19.2% in 2014/15 up to the peak value of 24.1% in 2017/18.
% of children in Year 6 recorded as being overweight (incl. obese) (single year)
The percentage of Year 6 children recorded as being overweight (incl. obese) has been recorded annually since 2007/08 through the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). The trend chart is shown below. Measurements for 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 are not considered reliable for York so have been excluded from the chart. Data from 2020/21 was not published at local authority level due the small number of children measured as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There has been a steady rise in the percentage of Year 6 children recorded as being overweight (incl. obese) from 28.0% in 2015/16 to 33.5% in 2023/24. Values in York have, however, remained consistently below the regional and national averages.
Absolute gap in % of Year 6 recorded obesity between highest and lowest York ward (3 year aggregated)
The ‘health gap’ indicators show the difference between the wards with the highest and lowest values. A lower value is desirable as it indicates less variation in health outcomes based on where people live within the City. Trend data for these indicators helps to monitor whether the gaps are narrowing or widening over time.
The value for this indicator for the 3 year period 2021/22 to 2023/24 was 17.04% (the gap between 26.42% in Westfield and 9.38% in Wheldrake). This represents an improvement compared with the three year period 2019/20 to 2021/22 when the gap was 19.7% (the gap between 27.37% in Westfield and 7.69% in Copmanthorpe).
% of adults (aged 18+) classified as overweight or obese (New definition)
Data on the estimated percentage of adults who are overweight or obese is obtained from the Active Lives Adult Survey. The survey provides self-reported height and weight, which can be used to produce BMI estimates. The data collected also allows for adjustments to be applied to the self-reported height and weight measurements at an individual level to give likely actual height and weight. The data for 2023/24 is based on 312 people from York taking part in the survey. Trend data is available from 2015/16 to 2023/24 and is shown in the chart below.
There is no clear trend in York over the nine year period. The percentage did, however, fall in the most recent period from 63.3% in 2022/23 to 60.1% in 2023/24.
