Year 6 children weigh in and measurements

[Yoyo2021]

Hi all,

Just received a email about the nhs coming in to weigh my child’s year group and measure height etc.

It said this will be done in a private room.

I’ve opted out following the link.

I just think what’s the point my child isn’t under weight or over weight!

If I had cause for concern I would go to the doctors!

AIBU

It's a data collection exercise to look for keep records on the population/ look for trends. It's not carried out with the purpose of highlighting individual obesity/ low-weight but, as the data is collected anyway, it is shared with parents (as it is their right to know).

It's up to you whether you share the findings with your child or not.

When this was done at DD’s school, I agreed but on the basis that I felt it would make it a bigger deal to have her not doing it when the other children were all doing it. I explained that it was just done so the Govt knows more about the population, like census data etc. Just told her when she asked later that she was the perfect height and weight - and would have said the same regardless of what the letter said as wouldn’t want to give her a complex. Was v wary as had an eating disorder in my teens and really don’t want DD to suffer that way.

One of my dds in year 6 had a fully developed adult figure and was 8st 13lbs.and 5'2" Came back as saying she was overweight as on 93rd centile. Put the same info in for an 18 year old adult, bmi of 23.

This thread is proof that denial is not only a river in Egypt (I accept that works better verbally).

With so many girls starting puberty earlier they do need to provide two separate data sets so parents can pick the applicable one... the two sets of girls are completely different!

I will be opting out when the time comes also.

PPs can assume that my children are overweight if they like, but IMO I’d rather a child with a healthy relationship with their body, and with food.

It's important not to opt out if possible. Otherwise, the data gathered is less accurate, which makes it less useful.

Only age and weight is used when they asses the children. Any child who is tall for their age will be classed as overweight/obese. I have a couple of friends are very tall, and have very tall children, and they've all been classed as overweight/obese, when in reality they have a perfectly healthy weight/height ratio.

As someone who has 2 underweight children I would welcome a HCP weighing them and giving me ideas on how to bring their weight to a healthy level!!

I don't understand the posts on these threads that say things like, oh my child was so stressed out as a result. The measurements are sent home, it's up to the parent what they do with the information. Personally if I was told my child was overweight I'd hide the letter away and try to make subtle dietary changes.

YABU.

The children who were clearly overweight in my kids school in reception were still overweight in year 6.

My sons weight went up in lockdown...my DH said he looked fine but I put his measurements into the calculator and he was overweight, so I worked on getting him into the healthy weight range.

People can't always tell if their kids are too big and I think it's helpful to know.

DDs letter included her height.

Exactly. I often get told my daughter is “skinny”

Nope Sandra, your children are just chunky - mine is on the same weight and height centile.

They weigh and measure at school every year in my country, I'm all for it, gathers information about the state of children's health, spots when issues are getting serious (and I assume parents are then contacted about it) and it's just a normal yearly thing as part of their yearly health check up (it's not just weighing and measuring so that's not the focus) so the children don't view it as anything weird or judgy, just enjoy getting 15 minutes out of class. Maybe if the UK made it more routine parents wouldn't get so freaked out about it.

Its just a measurement of weight and height? The data is used to assess trends at a national level. Surely it only becomes a big deal if your household makes it a big deal? If you all have a normal and healthy relationship to food and exercise why is it an issue?

It clearly states in the letter they measure height too.

This didn't bother me in the slightest, but I knew all my kids were a healthy weight so I didn't have any fear that it would upset them or me to be confronted with an unpleasant truth.

My colleagues in Asia are weighed and measured as part of their annual fit for work medical in the office clinic. They're definitely a slimmer and healthier-looking bunch than their UK and USA counterparts.

The only person who complained bitterly about it at my school has a daughter who, in reception, was clearly overweight. She's now obese. I don't know how the parents couldn't see it or why they ignored the letter.

The girls are probably starting their periods earlier BECAUSE they are heavier, they aren’t heavier because they start their periods earlier.

In England in Reception 1 in 10 (10.1%) children is obese rising to over 1 in 5 (23.4%) in Year 6.

This is why we need the National Child Measurement Programme. Parents who think their children are fine may not be aware their child is at increased risk of long term health issues as a result of their increased weight.

That sounds inaccurate, you cant do BMI without height measurements and the height is needed also for the trends.

I don’t doubt there are more kids at a perceived unhealthy weight than there should be. However this strikes me as a very questionable method of collecting data from a vulnerable population, unable to consent on their own behalf. I note on the NHS page on this topic it states:

if local authorities are routinely feeding back results to parents, they aim to do this within 6 weeks of measurement

So I assume in some LA parents do not even get individual feedback, so there is no vehicle for offering help or guidance to children's and parents where an issue may have been identified, they are literally just part of a mass data set? That seems off doesn’t it?

I’ll be opting out when the time comes for my kids as even more at nearly 40 I clearly remember how I felt lining up to be weighed. I was probably a bit chubby at the time, as a girl just on the cusp of puberty, but that didn’t transpire into a lifetime of obesity.

For those who have said it stressed / upset their child, why? When my DD was measured, she was slightly overweight. I told her that her measurements were fine, but cut down her portions and calorie intake by stealth. She was absolutely unaware!

This caused my DD so much stress. I wish we had had the option to opt out. For many girls this weigh in is at a time when they're storing a little more fat to prepare for periods starting etc. My DD got a letter saying she was obese. She's now a slim teen.

If her BMI is over a certain number, that is an indication of being overweight, regardless of how big her boobs were!

There is a cohort of children who missed the yr 6 weight and height measurements due to lockdown. It will be interesting to see the long term obesity stats for this cohort vs the ones who have been measured to see whether they make any difference at all to adult outcomes i.e whether parents have responded to knowing their child is overweight in year 6.