New research led by Unit researcher Dr Andrea Smith and Professor Clare Llewellyn of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care finds that family affluence shields children from the risks of obesity and unhealthy eating habits, even when they’re surrounded by unhealthy food options

The research, conducted in four socioeconomically diverse London boroughs in 2022 and funded by the National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR), recruited 728 families with primary school-aged children. Through computer-assisted in person or telephone interviews, data was collected from one caregiver per household on home food environment, parental feeding practices, and children’s eating behaviours, food preferences and child weight.

They assessed family-level deprivation using a range of indicators that included education level, family income, and home ownership status, and found that family deprivation was more strongly linked to feeding practices and child eating behaviours that contribute to higher obesity rates than neighbourhood food environments.

Dr Smith, who was a Senior Research Fellow at UCL when this research was completed, said:

Our study shows that deprivation has a deep and wide-ranging impact on children’s eating habits, family feeding practices, and ultimately children’s weight. While improving neighbourhood food environments remains important, we cannot ignore the broader social and economic conditions families are facing. Tackling deprivation must be central to any strategy aiming to reduce health inequalities in childhood obesity.”

• Read the full story on the UCL website

Reference

• Andrea D. Smith et al. The impact of deprivation and neighbourhood food environments on home food environments, parental feeding practices, child eating behaviours, food preferences and BMI: The Family Food Experience Study-London; International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 6 July 2025; DOI: 10.1186/s12966-025-01788-7