National Child Measurement Programme
Guidance on how to deliver the programme and what the data shows, including analysis reports.
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a nationally mandated public health programme in England. It provides data to monitor the patterns and trends, and the prevalence, of underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obesity in children as well as data on child height. It is widely used both nationally and locally to inform action to promote healthy growth and weight in children.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), provides strategic leadership and support for this programme, which is delivered by local authorities. OHID also leads analysis and reporting of the NCMP data.
Guidance for local authorities and schools
NCMP privacy notice
Data and analysis reports
Obesity, physical activity and nutrition profile updates
The NCMP data in the Obesity, physical activity and nutrition profile includes:
- prevalence of underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obesity and severe obesity at upper and lower-tier local authority, integrated care board (ICB), region and England level over time
- trend data for the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) and obesity for middle super output areas (MSOAs) and electoral wards
Data is also presented for inequalities in child obesity prevalence by sex, deprivation quintile and decile and ethnic group for England, regions and local authority areas.
Slide packs with the latest NCMP data are available to download for upper tier local authorities, regions and England.
Updates to this page
-
Collection page restructured. Two sections renamed and documents reorganised. Older 'Obesity profile' updates and NCMP statistical publications from 2017 to 2020 removed.
-
Added 'National Child Measurement Programme: information for schools' and 'National Child Measurement Programme: privacy notice'
-
Added 'National child measurement programme (NCMP): changes in child BMI between 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021' to the section 'NCMP and Child Obesity profile data updates'.
-
Added 'Changes in the body mass index (BMI) category of children between the first and final years of primary school, 2023 to 2024' to the collection page.
-
Added 'Obesity profile: February 2025 update' to the collection page.
-
Added 'Obesity Profile: November 2024 update' to the collection page.
-
Added 'Update to the Obesity Profile on Fingertips' to the collection page.
-
Added 'Obesity Profile: November 2023 update' to the collection.
-
Added 'Height by deprivation decile in children aged 10 to 11: April 2023 update' to the collection page.
-
Added 'Analysis of NCMP data using WHO growth standards: 2021 to 2022' to the data and analysis section.
-
Added 'Obesity Profile: update of adult and child obesity slide packs February 2023'.
-
Added 'Obesity Profile: December 2022 update' to the collection page.
-
Added Obesity Profile: December 2020 update.
-
Added: 'Child obesity: patterns and trends'.
-
Added 'NCMP and Child Obesity Profile: academic year 2018 to 2019 update'.
-
Added documents to 'NCMP and Child Obesity profile data updates' section.
-
Added 'National Child Measurement Programme: conversation framework' to the 'Guidance for local authorities' section.
-
Added Data and analysis - Obesity, diet and physical activity link.
-
Added trends in child BMI report.
-
Added guidance for data sharing.
-
The 'National Child Measurement programme: briefing for elected members' has been added.
-
May publication applies to the 2014 to 2015 school year. No change to document.
-
Revised operational guidance added
-
The publication 'National Child Measurement Programme: summary of nutrition and healthy weight regional events 2013' was added to the document collection.
-
Added schools guidance as a standalone document.
-
Added publication 'National Child Measurement Programme 2013 to 2014: information for schools'.
-
First published.