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A new report published by Health Equity North and supported by research from the NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria has found that families living in areas of higher poverty, such as the North of England, are less likely to have access to healthy, affordable food and more likely to have children who live with obesity.

The report has shown that food insecurity is rising across the country, particularly in the North of England, which has seen a rise of 5.5% between 2019/20 and 2022/23, compared to 3.8% in the South.

It also highlights a North-South divide in the prevalence of childhood obesity, which is evident as early as Reception age.

The report – ‘Hungry for Change: Tackling Obesity and Food Insecurity in the North of England’– examines regional inequalities in childhood food insecurity and obesity and reflects on the challenges and opportunities that shape children’s health across the life course – from conception through to early adulthood.

Analysis in the report demonstrates that food insecurity is strongly linked to poverty, and families with children are twice as likely to be food insecure than those without children. Poverty is also a root cause of other major social problems such as obesity in childhood.

There are also clear regional differences in childhood obesity; the highest prevalence of childhood obesity is in the North East at 24.5% compared to 19.1% in the South West.

The report includes a list of recommendations for the government with a focus on equitable approaches that target those in areas of greatest need, such as children living in deprived areas such as the North of England.

Recommendations include: recognising poverty as a cause of childhood obesity; prioritising policies which address poverty; reversing cuts to welfare benefits, such as the two-child limit and the reduced benefit cap; expanding access to affordable, healthy food in low-income communities through targeted subsidies, local planning measures and community food programmes; restricting the expansion of fast food outlets in high-risk areas; strengthening the Healthy Start scheme; reinvesting in early years services such as Sure Start children’s centres; and appointing a minister to coordinate policy around early years food and health.

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