UK children’s body mass index report cards: public benefit or poor policy?

The current child obesity pandemic emerged during the 1980’s (1) and has remained a persistent public health issue that has shown resistance to a myriad of child obesity prevention programs. In 1975 the global prevalence of child obesity was less than one percent, rising to approximately 6.5% in 2016 (2) indicating child obesity is an international public health issue. Obesity during childhood lays down the foundations for metabolic disease increasing the risk for future chronic disease, and more proximally for children, psychosocial issues (3).