Parents to be told if child is fat
Published Date:
20 August 2008
More than one in four children starting school in South Ribble are overweight or obese, new figures have revealed.
Health chiefs will now send out 3,000 letters across the county to parents telling them their child is too heavy.
But some parents have branded the shock tactic as 'insensitive' and said it could lead to bullying.
Health bosses insist they are not unfairly targeting overweight children and will help parents to beat the obesity timebomb plaguing children as young as four.
An alarming 27 per cent of of youngsters aged four and five in South Ribble, Preston, Chorley are overweight and obese.
The situation doesn't get much better as children get older as statistics for Year six pupils in central Lancashire – aged 10 and 11 – reveal 26 per cent of children are overweight and obese.
Jackie Heighton-Lewin, weight management programme manager at Central Lancashire PCT, said: "We will not be pointing fingers, but gently explaining that their child is of an unhealthy weight and encourage them to adopt a healthier lifestyle, which will benefit the whole family."
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Last Updated:
20 August 2008 2:24 PM
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Source:
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Location:
Leyland
