CHILDREN living in Cardiff are the least likely to become overweight or obese compared with the rest of Wales, a new survey has found.
The Child Measurement Programme found that just 21% of children living in the capital were obese, compared with nearly a third in Anglesey.
The Welsh Government study found that, contrary to popular belief, children living in more rural areas are more likely to be obese.
Councillor Sue Lent, the Cabinet member for Early Years, Children and Families, said: “We’re obviously pleased that some of the work we’re doing on healthy eating is paying off but there’s clearly still some way to go.”
There is also a strong relationship between levels of obesity and deprivation – in the least deprived areas of Wales the obesity rate among children was 22.2%, whereas the most deprived areas had a rate of 28.5%.
The survey also found that children of black origin were more likely than other ethnicities to suffer from weight-related problems, with Asian children the least likely to be overweight.
