Discovery Home & Health

I have just heard a news article that states all four year old will be weighed when they start and leave school and parents with obese kids will be informed of the long term health risks this causes.

Am I alone in thinking that this is unfair and an infringment of a childs rights. And no, I am not saying a child has a right to be obese, far from it. What I mean is, I'd be the first to notice if I thought my child was obese or verging on it and I'd do something about it in the family. I am the kind of parent who offers a varied healthy diet and has no family history of obesity, I'm not going to wait for a test. Can I refuse to have it done? And are we encouraging a generation of kids to weight themselves to see if they comply with the system????

hi Aly
i to think its unfair, think of the kids, there going to picked on something chronic, im too like you my children have healthy balanced diet, but some parents arent like that, some dont mind there kids eating junk food, i think its thoses being targeted.
Then again its not all down to the parents,Kids will eat what/when they want to. I remember my mum telling me no more to eat, but when her back was turned i used to sneak a chocolate bar out the fridge.i
If its introduced whilst my kids are at school i think ild refuse it too.

My eldest two kids were both weighed as part of a health check when they entered into full time schooling in reception (term b4 5th birthday), along with hearing, eye tests and height measurement. It's performed by the school nurse, who basically takes over the HV role when a child starts school. You get a sheet sent home giving the test results which you just add to your red book (child record).

If they feel that your child has a problem, in my case I was alerted that my son had reduced hearing in one ear and there were concerns for his weight - both problems I was aware of. I was doing everything I could do to control the weight, he wasn't eating junk, he was eating a varied healthy diet, exercising well and a basically a happy cheerful lad - so I just chose to ignore the request to speak to with the school nurse and have continued monitoring the problem myself.

I wouldn't read too much into it. My eldest is now 7.5 years old so I don't think it can be a new thing.

Sarah
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