New research has suggested that around a quarter of children are on some form of diet, even for those who are at a healthy weight.

A study involving more than 34,000 youngsters in England found a rise in the proportion of children as young as eight trying to lose weight.

Data was analysed from 34,235 children aged eight to 17 that had been recorded as part of the Health Survey for England from 1997 to 2016.

It found a “significant increase over time” in the proportion of children reporting weight loss attempts, from 21.4% in 1997/98 to 26.4% in 2015/16.

The rise was from 5.3% (one in 20 children) to 13.6% (one in seven) among those who were a healthy weight.

Bournemouth Echo: Children as young as eight were found trying to lose weight (PA)Children as young as eight were found trying to lose weight (PA)

Likewise, there was a jump from 9% to 39.3% for children trying to diet who were overweight, and from 32.9% to 62.6% for those who were obese.

The likelihood of weight loss attempts was generally higher in girls than boys, but the increase over time was significant only for boys, said the researchers, including from the University of Oxford.

Older children were more likely to want to lose weight than those who were younger, as were those from Asian families or families with a low income.

Writing in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, the experts said there was a marked increase in weight loss attempts among children from 2011/12 onwards.

This coincided with parents being given feedback on their child’s weight as part of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), which weighs and measures pupils when they are in Reception and Year 6.

The experts said: “A previous survey found that the provision of NCMP weight feedback increased recognition of childhood overweight and encouraged some parents to seek help, but it is also plausible that this prompted greater self-management.”

They said they were concerned that the increase in weight loss attempts “has not been matched by an increase in the provision of weight management services in England, creating a risk of unsupervised and potentially inappropriate weight control behaviours.

“Meanwhile, the rise in weight loss attempts among children with a healthy weight raises concerns and suggests greater attention is needed to target weight control messages appropriately.”

Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: “The news that more and more children appear to be taking their weight seriously is most welcome but this success must be greeted with a hint of caution.

“The survey stresses that its data are estimates rather than being precise but that can be easily overcome by the proposed extension of the NCMP.

“It is concerning that children with a healthy weight appear to be ‘dieting’ and they should be gently told to snap out of it.”