EMBARGOED TO 1900 WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24 Picture posed by a model File photo dated 03/03/14 of an 11-year-old girl using a set of weighing scales. Obesity levels among children due to the pandemic could end up costing more than Ł8 billion, research suggests. A new study found obesity in England rose significantly among four to five-year-olds and those aged 10 to 11 between 2019/20 and 2020/21 - at the height of the spread of coronavirus. Issue date: Wednesday January 24, 2024.