Since I started digging into the methodology used to estimate the rate of childhood obesity in Britain, I have been shocked by how shoddy it is. The figures that are routinely cited are quite simply a lie. They vastly exaggerate the number of kids who are obese.
In my previous post about this for the Spectator I said that the real rate is at least half of that claimed. That much should be obvious. A rate of 23 per cent among 11-15 year olds is extremely unlikely when the rate among 16-24 year olds is only eleven per cent.
In my new post, published today, I show some more credible evidence and argue that the true rate of obesity among children in this age group is closer to one in twenty, not one in five. Indeed, it could easily be one in fifty.
Do read it.
1 comment:
Every year many older villagers get a special evening meal linked to a major local event called Feast Week. The meal is served at the village academy by volunteer children. So I can observe first hand empirically with only observation regarding over weight children. I reckon it is less than 10% of those volunteers. Most are slim or relatively so. If there is an obesity epidemic it has missed our village and most of the children.
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