Children at Guernsey’s States schools have higher proportions of “unhealthy excess weight than children attending fee-paying schools”, according to Public Health.
The Guernsey Child Measurement Programme measures the height and weight of children in Year 1 (aged 5/6) and Year 5 (aged 9/10) in order to monitor trends in excess weight across the Bailiwick.
The data from the most recent survey shows that 81% of Year 1 students are a healthy weight while 66.9% among those weighed from Year 5 are.
In both Year 1 and Year 5 Public Health’s survey found that children at non-fee paying schools had higher proportions of unhealthy excess weight than children attending the island’s fee-paying colleges.
“Data like this forms an important evidence-base for guiding decisions which, we hope, will have a direct impact on families with the aim of making it easy and affordable for the whole family to be healthy,” said Alex Hawkins-Drew, Associate Director, Public Health.
“The report highlights a sustained difference in weight status by school fee status which is a concerning health inequality. Working with our partners in the Health Improvement Commission, we will continue to look at the root causes of this inequality and how it can be addressed.”
In total, 280 children are estimated to be overweight or obese across the two year groups, with around one in six across Year 1, and one in three in Year 5.
Overall it shows a neutral trend according to the data from Public Health, who described it as “stable”, meaning there is no strong statistical evidence of directional change.
The data sample size is fairly trustworthy, with 92% of eligible children measured across all public and private schools.
A point illustrated by Jenny Cataroche, the Head of Public Health Intelligence.
“We are delighted to report increased participation in the measurement programme this year and we are so grateful to the schools and pupils who give their time to take part.”
Ms Cataroche added: “Data from 2025 showed a higher proportion of Year 5 children with excess weight and a lower proportion of Year 1 children with excess weight, compared to last year. However, the long-term trend — correcting for year-to-year variations — shows that the level of excess weight is stable in both year groups.”
According to Public Health the data will be used to guide decisions and initiatives, focusing on prevention by making healthy eating and physical activity easier and more affordable for families, and specifically addressing the observed health inequality.
Dr Simon Sebire, CEO of the Health Improvement Commission, said: “Childhood overweight and obesity are linked to a range of physical and mental health conditions and often persist into adulthood. The drivers of body weight are complex and vary between individuals, but overweight and obesity are largely preventable.
“The findings of the Guernsey Child Measurement Programme highlight the continued need to focus on prevention by creating everyday environments that make healthy eating and physical activity easier for everyone.”