THIS five-year-old Newport girl was classified as obese on a form sent to her mother after the latest round of Wales’ Child Measurement Programme.

And though that classification appears to have been a case of human error, her mother and grandmother are worried that such a mistake could have dangerous consequences for other reception age children.

The girl, who remains anonymous at the request of her mother, was among tens of thousands of four and fiveyear- olds across Wales whose height and weight were measured last month to provide a picture of the age group’s physical development.

It also provides a vital snapshot of the prevalence of underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obesity in early childhood.

The form, completed by a school nurse and received by the girl’s mother, indicated she was inside the expected height range. But the box for the classification ‘obese’ had been ticked and her recorded Body Mass Index (BMI, the method by which weight category is calculated), indicated she was obese.

But her height (115.7 centimetres) and weight (23.8 kilograms) recorded in the letter, when calculated, indicate a healthy BMI.

“We’re angry because the form states she is obese and that an appointment will be offered by the school nurse,” said the girl’s grandmother.

“My daughter, her mum, is upset and angry, and soamI, because just looking at her it’s obvious she is not obese or even overweight.

“What I can’t understand is, where does common sense come in? According to this, the system says she is obese.

“I think it is dangerous because there will be some parents who won’t follow up the form, but might start changing their child’s diet as a result of it saying they are obese.

“Even if this has been a mistake, there’s still that danger. I would hope these things are double checked, because it’s hard, labelling children obese like this – and is this on her record now?”

Survey will help identify problem areas

BODY Mass Index in this programme is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared, with age and gender also taken into account.

Almost 29,500 children across Wales were measured in the first Child Measurement Programme last year, with more than 95 per cent of reception age children in Gwent involved.

Linda Bailey, a consultant in public health for Public Health Wales, said this is a programme which standardises the way primary school children are measured across Wales.

“It provides useful measurements including children’s BMI, to understand the scale of the problem (obesity), it’s likely causes or how best to tackle it,” she said.

“It is providing this information on a national level so we can see the bigger picture, and on a local level so we can identify key areas of concern. “Measuring children at reception class is not new and school nurses have always identified any issues that they feel is a health concern – with weight only being one example – and raise them with parents as part of their duty of care.

“Letters are drafted locally by health boards. We welcome feedback from parents on every aspect of the programme and are working to look at the feedback provided to parents.”