The National Study of Health and Growth (NSHG) was a surveillance system of growth in primary school children of England and Scotland from 1972 to 1994. The system included a representative sample and an inner city sample. The study was valuable for assessing the possible impact of food welfare policy and social factors on nutritional status, mainly assessed in terms of height. The NSHG was the first study to document an increase in child obesity in the United Kingdom. Although the principal aim of the NHSG was to monitor nutritional status, the study was influential in assessing trends in res ... More

The National Study of Health and Growth (NSHG) was a surveillance system of growth in primary school children of England and Scotland from 1972 to 1994. The system included a representative sample and an inner city sample. The study was valuable for assessing the possible impact of food welfare policy and social factors on nutritional status, mainly assessed in terms of height. The NSHG was the first study to document an increase in child obesity in the United Kingdom. Although the principal aim of the NHSG was to monitor nutritional status, the study was influential in assessing trends in respiratory illness, especially asthma, and in reporting on the risk factors of obesity, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and physical fitness, and other health complaints such as food intolerance, enuresis, and sleep disturbances. The NSGH was successful in maintaining a high response rate throughout its existence.