Children from poorer backgrounds are significantly more likely to be obese, a new study has found.

UK researchers analysed data on almost 20,000 families, looking at children when they were aged five and 11 years.

They found a very strong link between poverty and childhood obesity. At the age of five, children from poorer homes were almost twice as likely to be obese compared to children from more well-off homes.

Overall, 6.6% of the poorest five-year-olds were obese compared to just 3.5% of the richest.

Furthermore, by the age of 11, this gap had widened, with poorer children almost threes more likely to be obese. Altogether, almost 8% of the poorest 11-year-olds were obese compared to just 2.9% of the richest.

The study noted that children who did sport more than three times per week, had an earlier bedtime and regularly ate fruit were less likely to be obese. However obesity increased among children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy or if the mothers were overweight themselves.

The researchers from London said that early intervention with parents is key in order to promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle, with the evidence suggesting that such interventions ‘should start before birth or even conception'.

Details of these findings are published in The European Journal of Public Health.