Nutrition and obesity

One in three children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school. This increase is leading to more cases of type 2 diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure in children. We campaign for politicians to tackle it and help deal with the serious clinical and family consequences for those treating or suffering from related conditions.

Key resources on nutrition and obesity

Breastfeeding in the UK - position statement

Growth charts - for infants, children and young people

Healthy weight evidence - from our State of Child Health website

Gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition audit report (2021)

Campaigning activities

We are part of the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA), a coalition of over 40 organisations with expertise in tackling obesity. Our calls to action include our push to restricting junk food advertising before the 9pm watershed.

OHA website

Joint position statement with OHA, 2020 (PDF)

Related news

More news

Media response

29 April 2025

RCPCH responds to Public Health Agency’s Children’s Health in Northern Ireland 2023/24 report

The Public Health Agency’s annual report provides a statistical profile on various aspects of the health of children in Northern Ireland.

Blog

24 March 2025

Collaboration or integration - from our St David's Day Conference

This excellent event took place last month, curated by our trainee members. Through a series of presentations, we looked at how integrated care can help address complexity and bring efficiency, but also how to link in with others' expertise and perspective.

President's update

17 February 2025

Remembering influential members and our global impact - President’s update

In our recent Council meeting, we honoured the memory of Dr Jean Bowyer, a passionate advocate for child health. The RCPCH continues to uphold her legacy through international examinations, training, and humanitarian programs.

Resources on nutrition and obesity

More resources

Resource

Restricting promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt - consultation response (Scotland)

In May 2024, we responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on restricting promotions of HFSS food and drinks. Below is a short summary, with our full response available in the downloads section.

Resource

Health and Social Care Committee (Wales) inquiry into prevention of ill health – obesity – consultation response

In June 2024 we responded to the Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry into preventing ill health - obesity. This page provides a summary, and you can download our full response below.

Resource

Enteral calcium and phosphate supplementation in neonates and children - position statement

This statement is produced by Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacy Group (NPPG), with support from RCPCH. There are no licensed oral liquid calcium or phosphate products available in the UK. Administration of an effervescent calcium or phosphate tablet is common, and this statement provides guidance for...