Call to extend pupil weight scheme - UKPA

Call to extend pupil weight scheme - UKPA


Children should be measured throughout their school life to combat obesity, a campaigner has said.

Tam Fry, honorary chairman of the Child Growth Foundation, said the majority of excess weight was put on in children's final three years at primary school.

He said the National Child Measurement Programme should be extended to include younger children, including those at pre-school age.

The recent Health Survey for England (HSE) showed primary school leavers had put on 20% more weight in a generation since 1990.

"The Government was advised as long ago as 2004 to implement this but refused to do it," said Mr Fry. "We have to know when the early signs of unhealthy weight set in so that prevention measures can be put in place before weight becomes a problem."

Experts predicted children would consume 6,000 calories over Christmas Day.

Figures released earlier this month showed almost one in four boys and more than one in five girls were overweight or obese at the start of their school life.

A further 35% of boys and 31% of girls in their final year of primary school - aged 10 and 11 - also have weight problems, the Government survey showed. It showed the figures had changed little in recent years - suggesting measures to tackle child obesity had failed.

Around 90% of all eligible children were weighed and measured in the 2008-09 school year as part of the nationwide programme. This equates to more than a million children in reception year - aged four and five - and Year 6 - aged 10 and 11.

Of those, 115,319 in reception year were found to be overweight or obese along with 162,408 in Year 6. In reception year, 14% of boys were overweight and 10% obese, while 13% of girls were overweight and 9% obese.