One in ten children in England will be obese by 2015 – that’s the prediction by health officials who also state that the most affected youngsters will be those from less affluent families.

Experts suggests the divide between rich and poor will widen and children from poorer backgrounds will be most at risk of obesity.

The research considered children who will be aged two to ten years or 11 to 18 years in 2015 and compared it to social class determined by the profession of the head of the household.

Data from annual health surveys in England showed that the obesity trend among boys aged two to ten years old doubled from 3.1 per cent to 6.9 percent between 1995 and 2007. In girls, obesity rose from 5.2 per cent to 7.4 per cent. In the 11 to 18 year-old category, obesity levels increased from 2.7 per cent to 4.8 per cent among boys and 4.7 per cent to 6.1 per cent among girls.

If the trend continues in the same vein, by 2015 the prevalence of obesity among children is projected to increase dramatically and will mostly affect the less affluent classes.

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