Health

Obesity police strike again

by Paul Conneally | February 19, 2010 at 03:32 am

395 views | 22 Recommendations | 5 comments

By all measures the UK is in the grip of a growing problem of obesity. This has prompted the Government to initiate many programmes to tackle obesity and especially obesity in children and young people.

5-year-old Lucy Davies was tested as part of the Government's National Child Measurement Programme, which measures height, weight and age, to work out the BMI of children aged four to five and 10 to 11.

Some health authorities have started to write to parents when their child is shown to be overweight but some parents are finding the level at which weight triggers a letter and the tone of some of the letters concerning.

Lucy's mum, Susan Davies of Poole, Dorset was alarmed when although her fit and healthy daughter's weight fell well within the recommended range for her age she received a letter telling her that her daughter was 1% overweight and in danger of getting cancer.

Bournemouth and Poole Primary Care Trust feels that they are doing the right thing in sending out the letters to make sure that parents have the right information to set their children up for a long and healthy life.

THIS five-year-old was branded OVERWEIGHT and at risk of heart disease and CANCER by health officials.
Lucy Davis was also said to be vulnerable to high blood pressure - even though she weighs just 3st 9lbs and is fit as a fiddle.

Lucy underwent standard height and weight checks at school, which revealed that the 27kg (3st 9lb), 1.14m (3ft 9in) child fell within the recommended range for a girl her age. Yet, using the body mass index, the ballet dancer from Poole, Dorset, was said to be one per cent outside the healthy category – prompting the letter from the health authority.

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Sputnic

at 04:09 on February 19th, 2010

They are as dumb as a bag of spanners ! 1 percent ? They will cause an anorexia epidemic if they are not careful

158

at 07:40 on February 19th, 2010

Obesity is a big problem but the government often does more harm than good.

Paul Conneally

at 08:06 on February 19th, 2010

It is a growing problem in the UK and its amongst the poorest communities that its rising the quickest. Education rather than lecturing is probably the best way forward and the Healthy Schools initiative is a good one. These letters are impersonal triggered by a set figure and computer generated - never the best way forward with sensitive issues perhaps.