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The latest snapshot of children in London today suggests that those living around the Olympic site have the worst start in life in the whole of the UK.
Dense clusters of neighbourhoods in Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets fall into the 10 per cent most income-deprived areas in England, official data shows.
More children starting primary school in those boroughs are also likely to be overweight than in any other part of the capital. In all three, more than one in seven children are obese, figures from the Office of National Statistics show.
Its report, Children and Young People Around the UK, also revealed that a third of children in the capital grow up in single-parent families and a quarter go through school living in homes where everyone is unemployed or on sickness benefits. This is by far the highest proportion in the UK, it said.
The report also showed children aged under 15 living in parts of Richmond, Wimbledon and Kensington and Chelsea were among the 10 per cent least poverty-hit in England.
The index, by the Department of Communities and Local Government, is based on which households are receiving benefits. More than one in nine children in London are obese by the time they start school. Pupils in wealthier boroughs are less likely to be overweight. Obese children make up 6.4 per cent of the primary school intake in Richmond upon Thames, compared with Hackney's 16.1 per cent.
An ONS spokesman said: "A child's start in life in the UK, and within London, really depends on where they live. The most significant influence is likely to be income deprivation."
Reader views (4)
Dear Frank from the Home counties
You are clearly not aware that when people are income deprived it is often cheaper to drink Coke as opposed to fruit juices, hamburgers as opposed to meat and vegetables and fried chips from takeaways as opposed to baked potatoes. It is not always the case that people eat cheap and low quality food but I would suggest that you do some more reading on the matter as I find your comment arrogant and not very compassionate.
- Jbp, London, 25/06/2009 11:52
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"most income deprived" - um, I think Tower Hamlets has one of the highest unemployment rates in London. Travelling frequently through Tower Hamlets, the majority of the population seems to derive from Asia and I'll bet they're living in luxury versus what they left behind in their countries of origin.
- Ab, London, 25/06/2009 08:17
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"most income-deprived" - "likely to be overweight"
Aren't these two statements mutually exclusive?
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 24/06/2009 17:09
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Released by The Department For The Bleedin' Obvious no doubt.
- Squiz, Islington, 24/06/2009 15:16
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