A young mum has spoken of her shock after being told her active four-year-old daughter is overweight following a Body Mass Index (BMI) weight check at school.
Lauren Ormesher, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, was sent a letter telling her that her daughter Maggie was classed as overweight following tests she had done at Cobbs Brow Primary School.
Maggie does dancing every week and has recently been crowned the "petite" Lancashire winner of a national pageant celebrating diversity called 'Miss Diamond UK', LancsLive report.
“We got a letter home saying she’s overweight – I put a post up on Facebook and it turns out a lot of kids all over the country got this letter saying they’re overweight," Lauren said.
"It’s nothing to do with school - a lot of parents had it and had received letters; one was from South Wales and some were from London area and all over the place.
"Our letter was addressed to the parent or guardian of Maggie and it said she was overweight according to their test."
She added: "I was quite shocked as she’s a very healthy child and to see the word “overweight“ seemed crazy.
"Then I felt angry at the damage a letter like this could do to such young children."
Lauren, 32, is campaigning for an end to BMI weight checks of children due to concerns that the letters could lead to parents restricting their children’s diets or children developing mental health issues or eating disorders.
The body mass index (BMI) is a measure that uses height and weight to work out if a person's weight is healthy, according to the NHS.
“My concern was that some parents might put their kids on a diet and eating disorders, and all the stress that this entails," Lauren said.
“Maggie is quite active - she goes Morris dancing once a week, and she's not overweight or anything in the slightest. It’s about spreading awareness.
“A lot of people are not happy with the BMI weight checks.
"There are alternative methods of keeping children healthy rather than weight checking them.
“The BMI method measures your weight against your height. Most medical professionals will say it’s not accurate; it’s quite damaging really - they’re telling healthy children that they are overweight or obese.
“A lot of parents are getting concerned, especially with Year 6 children who are old enough to understand.
"One child who’s had a letter is a gymnast; it’s a bit concerning that they are still using that method."
She added: “It causes the parents stress as well, if they feel they’ve failed as a parent and their child is fine. It only takes one parent to say let’s put you on a diet and that diet culture can put a child into thinking that that’s a normal way to live.
"You have children with eating disorders and it isn’t a good way for a child to feel healthy."
The letter received by Lauren is from from the Lancashire Healthy Young People and Families' Service, run by HCRG Care Group, which says its school nursing service carries out the National Child Measurement Programme and School Health Needs Assessments, in addition to issuing advice on health issues for children and older teenagers.
Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Lancashire County Council's director of public health, said: "The National Child Measurement Programme is part of the Government's plans to improve young people's wellbeing and gather data relating to their health. We commission HCRG to deliver the programme in Lancashire.
"This is one of the services we provide to support the families of 0 to 19-year-olds, which help to ensure young people maintain a healthy weight and have an active start to life. Body Mass Index (BMI) is one of a number of indicators of people's health, but every case is different and we'd encourage any parents with concerns to contact their school nursing teams for help and support."
A spokesperson for HCRG Care Group said: “The National Childhood Measurement Programme is a national scheme which we deliver in Lancashire on behalf of Lancashire County Council.
"As part of the programme, we write to parents whose children the programme identifies are either under or overweight for their age, sex and height to access to free support and guidance.
“Whilst we do understand it can be upsetting for parents to hear that their child has been measured and identified as overweight or underweight against the national target range, we hope they appreciate the information is intended to help identify where positive changes can be made and provide the support to make those changes.”
