Almost a quarter of children in Scotland are starting school at risk of being overweight or obese.

The problem is worsening for pupils in the poorest areas, while children in affluent areas are much less likely to experience problems with their weight.

Scottish ministers say they are investing in a range of measures to try and halve child obesity by 2030.

The proportion of pupils entering education overweight has remained constant since the start of the century.

But, according to the Body Mass Statistics of Primary One children in Scotland report, “substantial inequalities” in child unhealthy weight exist across the country,

Cath Morrison, a public health programme manager for NHS Lothian, said: “We can see there remains significant inequalities when it comes to the risk of obesity and children who live in poverty compared to those who do not not.

“It is something we, as a society, and the authorities really have to act on.

“For families in this modern world it can be difficult to choose the healthier options, especially for ones involved in a day-to-day financial struggle.”

Problem worsening in poorer areas

Children in P1 were measured for weight and height and their body mass index (BMI) was then calculated and compared with growth data. They were then assigned to a healthy or unhealthy weight category and the unhealthy category was deemed “at risk”.

The data shows that in 2018/19, about three out of four P1 children had a healthy weight but 22% were at risk of overweight or obesity.

Of the 9,561 children measured in the most deprived areas in Scotland, 2,526 (26.5%) were judged to be at risk of being either overweight or obese, up from 26.1% in the previous year.

In the least deprived areas, 1,614 (17.5%) of 9,182 children were at risk of being overweight or obese, down from 17.1% in 2017/18.

Boys in P1 are also slightly less likely than girls to have a healthy weight, the study revealed.

Obesity in childhood is associated with a wide range of health problems such as risk factors for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, emotional distress and mental health difficulties.

A Scottish government spokesman said: “We are determined to improve Scotland’s diet and our ambition is to halve child obesity by 2030 and significantly reduce diet-related health inequalities.

“Wide-ranging action includes the introduction of a Restricting Foods Promotions Bill before the end of this parliamentary session to restrict junk food promotions that encourage impulse buying and over-consumption.”

What can be done to tackle Scotland’s childhood obesity problem?

Cath Morrison, a public health programme manager for NHS Lothian, shares her tips on helping children live a more active and healthy lifestyle:

• Don’t talk about being overweight or obese

Language can create a stigma which is harmful and hurtful, having a negative impact on our ability to make the right choices.

• It’s important not to create an environment of guilt or shame

Banning things can make individuals feel hurt or ashamed and you never make the right choices when you feel like that.

• Make healthier choices together as a family

It can’t be an individual approach when you’re trying to help children, it has to be a whole family approach to making changes.

• Physical activity doesn’t need to be traditional exercise

We get caught up in thinking that getting healthier is increasing physical activity but that can mean just putting on your favourite song and dancing around the kitchen. All of you together, having a bit of fun – and it doesn’t need to be outside.

• Look at how you reward children

It’s inevitable that we offer treats as rewards but often the greatest reward you can give your children is your time, whether it’s a story at bedtime or time together cooking in the kitchen.

• Be realistic about snacking

We all snack between meals and it might be easier to replace them by making a small swap, for example having a healthier snack in the morning and more of a treat in the evening.

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Data on childhood obesity and poverty will be gathered and analysed to tackle the problems as part of a Unicef project with the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish government.

The Data for Children Collaborative project, launched today, will aim to improve understanding of what can be done to address the issues and discover more about their precise causes.

Scientists in Edinburgh will look at a vast range of data, including what children are eating and their exercise habits, and how these are influenced by different settings and locations.

It is hoped the findings from Scotland – focusing on childhood obesity, poverty and population – can then be used across the world “to save time, money and lives”.

Globally, 40 million children under the age of five and 340 million between the ages of five and 18 are estimated to be obese, while 29 per cent of Scottish children are clinically overweight.

Lucinda Rivers, head of Unicef in Scotland, said: “Unicef’s mission is to drive better results for more children, but we can only do this by using the power of evidence to deliver a better understanding of some of the challenges they face.

“We are grateful to the Scottish government and the University of Edinburgh for supporting this ambition through their support of the Data for Children Collaborative.”

She added: “The world-leading data science and artificial intelligence capabilities now available to Unicef through this collaboration will help us achieve better results for more children.”

The data on children will be gathered from both the public and private sectors, with strict guidelines on how it can be used and shared.

Unicef delivery director Alex Hutchison said: “Each project has the potential to make a real, positive impact on children’s lives worldwide.

“Pairing insights with data enables us to better understand what is driving childhood obesity and child poverty, and more accurate population estimates will help develop a widely scalable approach to tackling hugely important issues.”

Kate Forbes, the Scottish government’s digital economy minister, said: “This is an innovative programme that will help to deliver new ways of tackling childhood obesity and child poverty, on a local, national and international scale.

“We are in a very strong position in Scotland to deliver this type of world-leading data analysis that helps to save time, money and lives.”

The minister added: “I am very excited about this collaboration, through partnering with organisations that share our vision for the role of data in improving the lives of children both in Scotland and globally.”

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