Fake childhood obesity statistics

I've returned to the issue of fake childhood obesity statistics for Spectator Health...

Given the concerns about childhood obesity in Britain, you might expect organisations such as Public Health England to be thrilled to discover that the condition is far less prevalent than was thought. At the very least, you would expect them to recognise that the official statistics are a laughing stock and put a more robust system of measurement in place.

And yet there is no sign of any action being taken. While financial experts rightly complain about the shoddy methodology behind the Office for National Statistics’ Retail Price Index, there are no such complaints from the ‘public health’ lobby about the ludicrous methodology behind the childhood obesity figures. Week after week, the press, the government and health campaigners trot out the zombie statistic that one in three children is obese or overweight by the time they leave primary school, a claim that any parent or teacher with eyes can see is absurd.

Do have a read.