Weight testing

This article, from the Press Association, is stupid.

Why is there such a stigma about saying people are overweight?

 

Sporty girl, 5, branded overweight

(UKPA) – 1 hour ago

A mother has criticised health officials who branded her healthy, sporty, five-year-old daughter overweight and at risk of heart disease and cancer.
Lucy Davies's height and weight were measured at school before a letter was sent home saying she was overweight, which had implications on her health and well-being.
The letter said she could be vulnerable to conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer.
The 3ft 9in-tall girl, who weighs 3st 9lb, is 1% outside the healthy category based on her body mass index.
Her mother Susan, 38, said no child of that age should be thinking about their weight or worrying about their appearance.
The mother of four, from Poole, Dorset, said her daughter is always on the go and spends her time doing ballet, cheerleading or on family walks and playing outdoors.
A spokeswoman for NHS Bournemouth and Poole, which carried out the tests, said the results were aimed at parents and were not given to children directly.
Dr Adrian Dawson, director of public health at the trust, said: "We are concerned about the health of our children. If they are overweight, this will cause many problems for them as they grow older and we need to tackle this head-on.
"Parents are the only people who can effect this change in lifestyle through healthy eating, meal-time portion control and daily physical activity. It is right that they are aware of the consequences for their children."
Lucy was tested along with thousands of children as part of the Government's National Child Measurement Programme, which measures height, weight and age, to work out the BMI of children aged four to five and 10 to 11.