Morfin
09-03-2008, 01:34 PM
Warnings for parents of fat children
Warnings for parents of fat children
Parents are to receive official letters telling them if their child has a weight problem under a Government crackdown on obesity, it has been announced.
Earlier this year the results from the last measuring exercise were published showing almost one in four children in reception year were overweight
However the words 'obese' or 'fat' will not be used in order to avoid stigmatising them, Government officials have admitted.
The word obese makes parents 'switch off' and not take any notice, officials said, so instead parents will be told their child is overweight or very overweight.
'Exercise' has also been substituted for 'physical activity' in the letters.
From September this year it is expected that all parents who allow their child to be weighed and measured as part of the Government's drive to solve the childhood obesity crisis will automatically receive the results through the post.
The measurements will be used to calculate the child's Body Mass Index adjusted for their age but parents will not be told this figure.
Instead the pro-forma letter will plot where the child is on a scale from underweight, to healthy weight, overweight and very overweight.
The results will be confidential. Children, school staff and other medical professionals will not be told and it is up to parents to seek help and advice if they want it.
The National Child Measurement Programme aims to take the height and weight of all children in the first year of school, aged four or five, and again in year 6, aged 10 or 11.
Last year 15 per cent of children did not take part as their parents objected and it is feared that the results are skewed as overweight children are more likely to opt out.
The Government cannot force parents to allow their child to be weighed and measured because it would breach Human Rights legislation, Dr Cavendish said.
He said there was a balancing act between being a 'nanny state' and being a 'neglectful state'.
Earlier this year the results from the last measuring exercise were published showing almost one in four children in reception year were overweight or obese and this rose to one in three in year six.
Health minister Ivan Lewis said: "It's clear from research we've done that parents want to know their child's results and whether there is a concern about their health. But they want clear information which is non-stigmatising and helpful.
"Research shows that most parents of overweight or obese children think that their child is a healthy weight.
Tam Fry, Chairman of the Child Growth Foundation and board member at the National Obesity Forum, said it was 'bananas’ not to call obese children obese, and using a vague sliding scale instead of giving parents the details of their child’s BMI.
He said: “We have gone past the stage of being nice, we have got to bring people up short and tell parents, your child is obese do something about it or it will die before you do.”
He also criticised the Human Rights laws which meant parents could opt out of having their child weighed saying it was making it more difficult to help those people most in need.
He called for all children to be weighed every year and for staff carrying out the measurements to be properly trained as there was evidence the results were inaccurate in some cases.
Matthew Sinclair, Policy Analyst at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “This new programme is another example of the Government’s muddled thinking when it comes to public health. It seems that they are perfectly happy to set up grand, expensive schemes using taxpayers’ money but don’t have the backbone to follow them through properly. It is questionable whether schemes like this have much value even if they are run properly but failing to really confront the parents of obese children and bring home the seriousness of their predicament can only result in a messy half way house.”
Link (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2498072/Warnings-for-parents-of-fat-children.html)
This is an unbelievable story for several reasons. First, 15% of the parents objected to their children being weighed and measured? Human rights legislation prevents the schools from weighing kids?
Second, they are more concerned about calling kids fat or obese and 'stigmatizing' them than they are about getting these kids to be healthy and avoid being fat, sedentary, unhealthy adults.
Good for the Brits at least trying to do something, even if they have to tip-toe around landmines like parents objecting to their kids being weighed. I wish the U.S. would do this and be more pro-active. It's time to step on a few fat toes and get people to realize that our health care system, as bad as it is now, is going to be even worse when all these fat children become fat, diabetic adults, traveling around in those stupid little motorized carts.
Warnings for parents of fat children
Parents are to receive official letters telling them if their child has a weight problem under a Government crackdown on obesity, it has been announced.
Earlier this year the results from the last measuring exercise were published showing almost one in four children in reception year were overweight
However the words 'obese' or 'fat' will not be used in order to avoid stigmatising them, Government officials have admitted.
The word obese makes parents 'switch off' and not take any notice, officials said, so instead parents will be told their child is overweight or very overweight.
'Exercise' has also been substituted for 'physical activity' in the letters.
From September this year it is expected that all parents who allow their child to be weighed and measured as part of the Government's drive to solve the childhood obesity crisis will automatically receive the results through the post.
The measurements will be used to calculate the child's Body Mass Index adjusted for their age but parents will not be told this figure.
Instead the pro-forma letter will plot where the child is on a scale from underweight, to healthy weight, overweight and very overweight.
The results will be confidential. Children, school staff and other medical professionals will not be told and it is up to parents to seek help and advice if they want it.
The National Child Measurement Programme aims to take the height and weight of all children in the first year of school, aged four or five, and again in year 6, aged 10 or 11.
Last year 15 per cent of children did not take part as their parents objected and it is feared that the results are skewed as overweight children are more likely to opt out.
The Government cannot force parents to allow their child to be weighed and measured because it would breach Human Rights legislation, Dr Cavendish said.
He said there was a balancing act between being a 'nanny state' and being a 'neglectful state'.
Earlier this year the results from the last measuring exercise were published showing almost one in four children in reception year were overweight or obese and this rose to one in three in year six.
Health minister Ivan Lewis said: "It's clear from research we've done that parents want to know their child's results and whether there is a concern about their health. But they want clear information which is non-stigmatising and helpful.
"Research shows that most parents of overweight or obese children think that their child is a healthy weight.
Tam Fry, Chairman of the Child Growth Foundation and board member at the National Obesity Forum, said it was 'bananas’ not to call obese children obese, and using a vague sliding scale instead of giving parents the details of their child’s BMI.
He said: “We have gone past the stage of being nice, we have got to bring people up short and tell parents, your child is obese do something about it or it will die before you do.”
He also criticised the Human Rights laws which meant parents could opt out of having their child weighed saying it was making it more difficult to help those people most in need.
He called for all children to be weighed every year and for staff carrying out the measurements to be properly trained as there was evidence the results were inaccurate in some cases.
Matthew Sinclair, Policy Analyst at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “This new programme is another example of the Government’s muddled thinking when it comes to public health. It seems that they are perfectly happy to set up grand, expensive schemes using taxpayers’ money but don’t have the backbone to follow them through properly. It is questionable whether schemes like this have much value even if they are run properly but failing to really confront the parents of obese children and bring home the seriousness of their predicament can only result in a messy half way house.”
Link (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2498072/Warnings-for-parents-of-fat-children.html)
This is an unbelievable story for several reasons. First, 15% of the parents objected to their children being weighed and measured? Human rights legislation prevents the schools from weighing kids?
Second, they are more concerned about calling kids fat or obese and 'stigmatizing' them than they are about getting these kids to be healthy and avoid being fat, sedentary, unhealthy adults.
Good for the Brits at least trying to do something, even if they have to tip-toe around landmines like parents objecting to their kids being weighed. I wish the U.S. would do this and be more pro-active. It's time to step on a few fat toes and get people to realize that our health care system, as bad as it is now, is going to be even worse when all these fat children become fat, diabetic adults, traveling around in those stupid little motorized carts.