Letters to be sent to all Leicestershire parents with overweight children
Letters are being sent to all Leicestershire parents whose primary school children are considered overweight.
The parents are being warned their sons and daughters risk developing diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, and are being encouraged to seek help and advice.
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Letters to be sent to all Leicestershire parents with overweight children
Letters are also being sent to parents whose children are deemed too thin.
The children have been identified through the national child measurement programme in which pupils starting and leaving primary school are weighed and measured.
It is the first year the letters have gone out and health officials say the move has resulted in two written and a number of verbal complaints.
About 400 letters have been sent out. Another 4,500 have been sent to Leicestershire parents who specifically asked for the results of the programme.
A spokeswoman for Leicestershire County and Rutland community health services said: "We wrote to the parents and carers of very overweight and significantly underweight children letting them know of the support that can be provided."
It includes school nurses being available during the summer holidays to respond to those who would like help.
She added: "We are sensitive to the fact that a project dealing with what is, for many, a personal and sensitive issue, will not be welcomed by everyone."
Mike Sandys, a consultant in public health at NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland, said: "The aim of these letters is not to blame parents but to highlight their child's weight issue, to signpost the family towards appropriate advice and support."
Vanessa Moore, who runs Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do It (Mend) programmes for children aged 8 to 13 in Leicestershire, supports the move.
"It can frighten parents but a lot of children are overweight or obese and it is becoming considered as the norm," she said. "This letter will give them an opportunity to get help."
Braunstone councillor and city council cabinet member for children and schools Vi Dempster added: "It's not about accusing anyone. We all know if kids are overweight they will establish habits and become overweight adults."
Latest figures show 22.8 per cent of the 6,200 reception children in the county are overweight or obese – in line with the national average. But the figure rises to 29.9 per cent by year six – above the national figure of 22.6 per cent.
In the city – where 10 per cent of reception pupils and 17.8 per cent of year six pupils are obese – letters have gone to all parents giving details of their child's weight – healthy or otherwise.
Stephanie Dunkley, of NHS Leicester City, said: "We have had a good response to the scheme and a number of dietician referrals requested by the parents as a result of these letters."
23 Comments
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by Peter, Wigston, Leicestershire
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 3:49PM
“Quote:
"A lack of basic commonsense is the cause of many of these problems and relying on the nanny state is not the way forward."
This suggestion is both wrong and lacking in commonsense! It does not provide any answer either.
The causes are numerous but include:
1. Lack of suitable education about living, especially 20 years ago or more when most parents were at school.
2. Lack of time, especially if parents are having to work many hours to pay off a mortgage.
3. Too much advertising of unsuitable food products and poor positioning of them inside shops ie all designed to increase sales of unhealthy foods rather than healthy ones.
4. Lack of suitable information on food (if indeed there is any at all). The proposed traffic light system would be by far the best solution to this.
5. Lack of control by parents over their children so that children get what they want, not what is best for them.
The nanny state really only occurs in private boarding schools. What people need is education, and by ensuring children up to the age of 12 eat free healthy school meals (they really are healthy these days) and by providing more chances for suitable exercise (free swimming, especially during the school holidays) this education will be much improved.”
by alan5547, NWleics
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 3:05PM
“When I was at school... we had good wholesome meals. Boiled or mashed Maris Piper, cabbage or swede
( Gods I hated swede back then)
And we had real custard on our rhubarb....
( But no one had the spotted -dick ....
Except for Rory Daniels,)
but I wont repeat why, or what the rumour was about Rory .....
I'll take a big mac now - but no fries cos they're fattening... ( and mostly cold).”
by llamacroft, leicester
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 3:04PM
“Sadly a lot of people do not notice their kids are obese because they themselves are obese. it starts BEFORE birth and by introducing artificial feeding instead of natural feeding many babies are being taught to overeat whilst they are still tiny. Bottle feeding is sadly too much the cultural norm for things to change overnight.”
by ian, melton
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 1:56PM
“I see peter has borrowed Tony Blairs halo.”
by Kulgan, Crydee
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 9:41AM
“Blimey Peter. You say you are an excellent parent. You must be the first one I have come across in my life. Congratulations on your achievement.
I have a daughter who is nearly 16 and a son who is 13. Neither have been involved in drugs or in trouble with the authorities. I don't consider myself an excellent parent. I consider myself to be an 'ok' parent who is just doing the best I can.
I wish I was an excellent parent as do the many other parents I know, but we all just do our best and muddle through.”
by David, Great Easton, Rural Leiceestershire.
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 9:08AM
“Peter you can't have it both ways, saying on the one hand "you couldn't agree more" and on the other "it clearly misses the point". On the contrary it is exactly the point!!
A lack of basic commonsense is the cause of many of these problems and relying on the nanny state is not the way forward.”
by Peter, Wigston, Leicestershire
Monday, July 26 2010, 11:09PM
“Quote:
"Good parenting includes giving your child a balanced diet and ensuring they receive plenty of exercise"
As an excellent parent myself I couldn't agree more. But this comment clearly misses the point. There are so many parents who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to do this. Perhaps education has long been far too academic and lacking in the basics of living (apart from reading, writing and arithmetic). Perhaps both, or an only, parent have to work endlessly, especially at the crucial time between 3pm and 6pm.
So the situation for a large proportion of families is that they need that extra help. Free school meals for 12 and under children, plus free swimming, would help enormously, and save money in the long run. Anyone with younger children would realise this.”
by Kathy, Leicester
Monday, July 26 2010, 11:03PM
“I used to struggle with the idea my child was overweight and the negative attitude towards parents, as shown by some comments, really does not help. I'm glad the article shows there is positive help and encouragement out there for parents dealing with this serious issue.”
by Fiona, Loughborough
Monday, July 26 2010, 10:15PM
“I just liked the free swimming lessons for my kids because having worked all my life and paid for everything and never claimed a benefit that it was nice for my family to get something out of the system !”
by C, LFE
Monday, July 26 2010, 6:46PM
“My parents actually used to PAY for me to go swimming (I know - imagine that!! Paying for stuff these days!!) Oh yes - and I took a healthy packed lunch to school!!
They thought that this would be in my interest and so went to work to earn the money so they could afford to send me to swimming lessons. Why should everything be free for kids all the time now??”