Australian experts approve of British plans to issue 'fat' reports on school children

Jul 29 2008

A radical strategy by the British Government to tackle the nation's childhood obesity appears to have the support of experts in Australia.

As a part of the British government's anti-obesity campaign, plans have been revealed for schools to weigh children at the age of 4 to 5 and again at 10 to 11, details of the children's height and weight will then be sent to their parents along with advice about whether the child's weight is unhealthy and information on healthy diets and exercise.

Details of support services will also be provided and families who remain reluctant to allow their children to be weighed, will be encouraged by schools and primary care trusts to fully participate.

The strategy has been prompted by the increasing numbers of British children who are now overweight or obese and fears on the part of health experts that parents are unable to recognise whether their offspring's weight is within a normal range.

According to the latest figures from the UK, 10% of children aged 4 and 5 are obese and another 13% are classified as overweight - 17.5% of 10 and 11-year-olds are classed as obese and a further 14.2 per cent overweight.

The situation has caused so much concern that the government says parents will now be automatically informed about their children's weight, unless they particularly specify that they do not want this information.

In previous years this information was available to parents from the National Child Measurement Programme if they requested it, which allowed many parents to ignore the problem.

There is also the suspicion that others may have kept their children away from school on measurement days, which means the shocking figures could be an underestimation of the full extent of obesity levels.

The plan is for the data from the National Child Measurement Programme to be collated anonymously in order to provide the most accurate picture of childhood obesity rates.

Critics have slammed the scheme, which is due to be introduced at the start of the new academic year in September, as another part of the Government's 'nanny-state' approach, and say such issues are for families to sort out and not the Government.

However the UK's National Obesity Forum says the changes do not go far enough, and have called for children to be weighed and measured annually.

Several Australian obesity experts have commended the strategies and say Australia should follow suit as the nation's obesity problems will also only be changed with substantial changes at family and household levels.

Research has indicated that parents commonly do not recognise overweight and obesity in their children and obesity experts say while the issue is a sensitive one, supplying parents with such information can be a constructive move as long it is accompanied by information and support for parents.

Obesity is one of the fledgling Australian Labour Government's national health priorities.