Revealed: Almost half of boys in England’s poorest areas are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school

Almost half of boys in the poorest areas of England will be overweight or obese when they leave primary school, according to an analysis of NHS data carried out for The Mail on Sunday.

Separate research shows that children attending school in the most deprived neighborhoods are three times more likely to become severely obese than children in the most affluent.

Last night an expert said the lockdown had accelerated the trend of poorer children getting fatter.

Girls are often associated with a higher risk of obesity because they exercise less. However, NHS figures show that boys are significantly fatter when they leave primary school at the age of 11.

About 49 percent of sixth grade boys in the poorest neighborhoods were overweight or obese during their senior year, compared to 43 percent of girls. In the most affluent parts of England it was 29 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.

These statistics are not released regularly and were released by the NHS at the request of this newspaper. Meanwhile, the Labor Party found that last year there were 3,400 severely overweight children aged four or five in the most deprived parts of England, but only 630 in the wealthiest.

Labor MP Andrew Gwynne claimed the figures were “a disgrace” to the government.

Professor Paul Gately, an obesity expert at Leeds Beckett University, said: “Without the right support, once a child has gained weight, the chance of losing weight is close to zero. I fear that this generation will become ill who will bankrupt the NHS.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “The Government takes the fight against obesity seriously and we will continue to work closely with industry to help people make healthier choices.”