The statistics for children who are overweight and obese are high.

1 in 4 children aged 2-17 are overweight and 1 in 12 are obese.

A BMC medicine report, ‘Bayesian network modelling to identify on-ramps to childhood obesity‘ found that children with obesity were more likely to have a lower socio-economic status score and more financial hardship.

Other measures of social disadvantage such as parental income and High school level is correlated with higher obesity rates in children.

Professor Baur said that  social change was needed to combat the child obesity epidemic in Australia.

Produced By: Alana Su-Navratil

Featured In Story: Professor Louise Baur – Professor of Child & Adolescent Health Sydney Medical School USYD and Consultant Paediatrician, Weight Management Services, The Children’s Hospital Westmead

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 7 June 2023