A mum has blasted her local council after health officials classed her five-year-old daughter as 'overweight'. Lauren Badminton, 33, from Shiremoor is furious after receiving the letter from North Tyneside Council on Friday, June 30
Her daughter Olivia Ward, 5, had been weighed at school in January but her parents were appalled when they were informed that she was deemed overweighted for her age and height, reports Chronicle Live.
Lauren and her partner Steven Ward said anyone looking at their daughter would be able to say that this was not the case. Lauren says Olivia cycles to school, has weekly swimming lessons and attends Stars Academy where she does ballet, tap, and acro.
The fuming mum said: "North Tyneside Council shouldn't be giving five-year-old, fit, healthy, and active children a status of overweight when they are clearly not. These figures and numbers are damaging if this is what overweight looks like at five years old."
The letter invited the child to attend an after-school club called 'Healthy4Life' to "help children and their families maintain a healthier weight".
Lauren said after her daughter heard about the issue it "broke her heart" and she now wants to highlight the issue to support other families who have received the same assessment of their child.
The hairdresser said: "Olivia is not overweight in the slightest. She is perfect. It is so absolutely appalling and I have been into the school to say that my daughter is not to take part in this ever again.
"If I have issues with her height and her weight I will go to the doctors and discuss with them but never again should I receive a letter telling me my daughter is that.
"When you look at the pictures, or if you pass her in a shop, or in the street, you would never look at her and think she's overweight. I have contacted the council and told them that this has got to stop.
"I get that some children are visibly overweight but at five years old we can't start this now on kids. The damaging effect that this could have on a child at five...it's horrific."
Lauren said she shared a post about the letter on Instagram and learned of a number of other parents who have had similar treatment from the council. "It is appalling the council are doing this," she said. "The kids are just five years old and are developing in all different ways."
Lauren has spoken to Olivia's school, Stars of the Sea, and complained to North Tyneside Council about the issue. She has since received a response from Wendy Burke, Director of Public Health at the council.
In the letter, Ms Burke said it was not the intention to "cause any upset or distress" but went on to say that the "National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is used as an accurate way to assess this [whether a child is overweight] by using the child BMI centiles and categories."
Lauren wants to arrange a meeting with the health boss and her daughter to highlight her concerns about the 'outdated' system. "You can't go off numbers and figures these days," Lauren said. "You have to come and have a look at the kid."
She continued: "Some parents might sit their child down and say they are overweight and they could end up with an eating disorder at five years old."
When contacted, Ms Burke said: "While we are unable to comment on individual cases, the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is nationally mandated by the Government and requires all local authorities across England to deliver the programme annually for children in reception and year 6.
"The programme is part of the Government’s approach to building a single picture about how children are growing in order to tackle childhood obesity.
“We appreciate that for some parents receiving feedback relating to their child’s weight can be distressing, that is certainly not our intention. Individual results are not shared directly with children or the school and the measurements are carried out in line with national guidance in a sensitive and understanding way.
"The data is used locally so that we can plan services across the borough that support the health and wellbeing of children and their families.
“A letter was sent to all parents across North Tyneside in November 2022 to inform them that the NCMP was taking place and that children in reception and year 6 in mainstream schools would have their height and weight measured, together with details on how the data is used and information on how parents could withdraw their children from the programme if they wished to do so.
“Each child’s weight and height is measured using calibrated equipment and is compared with their age and sex. The NCMP uses the British 1990 child growth reference (UK90) to assign each child a BMI centile and then categorises them as either underweight, healthy weight, overweight or very overweight.
“Our teams will always discuss these results in more detail where parents have any concerns, so we would encourage anyone who would like further information to contact us directly.”
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