More than one in 10 school children aged four to five in the borough are obese, and more than one in five aged 10 to 11 are grossly overweight.
The latest statistics, compiled from the 2007/8 National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP), are above the national and London averages.
Lambeth’s levels are the tenth highest in London.
But growing ethnic diversity could mean the problem of child obesity in Lambeth is still not properly known.
Bimpe Oki, NHS Lambeth’s assistant director of public health, said because pupils’ body mass index was compared to average pupil heights in 1990 to gauge healthy weight levels, the comparison “may not be appropriate in an ethnically diverse population like Lambeth”.
The child obesity problem in Lambeth is still at the forefront of Lambeth NHS’s agenda.
It was the focus of a round table discussion at its annual general meeting last week.
The NCMP shows only 59 per cent of year 6 pupils in the borough were of a healthy weight, and 71.6 per cent of reception age pupils.
Ms Oki said NHS Lambeth were working hard to reduce childhood obesity through a range of national and regional programmes, and offering a free weight management programme to children aged seven to 13.
A multi-agency task group has also been set up in the borough to target the problem.
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