LOCKDOWN has taken a toll on kids’ waistlines as they have been stuck at home snacking on junk food and banned from playing with their friends.
Shocking new statistics reveal the pandemic has fuelled record levels of childhood obesity and contributed to the number of overweight children starting school rocketing by 45 per cent.
Experts warn it will take years to reverse the impact of Covid measures, with more letters than ever before sent to parents from school health staff to inform them that their kids are obese.
Kim Roberts, chief executive of childhood charity HENRY (Health, Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young), which helped Leeds become the first UK city to lower its rates of childhood obesity, warns there is an “urgent need to support families”.
She says: “It’s much harder to reverse obesity once it’s established, so we need to act now.
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“We know parents are doing the best they can, often in very challenging circumstances.
“Often the place we need to start is in supporting parents so they have the confidence, skills and resilience to make changes such as limiting their kids’ screen time, making sure children get active play time or swapping high-fat, high-sugar snacks for healthier alternatives.”
But as GPs call for drastic action, parents argue the system is broken.
Natalie Harvey, 44, is mum to son Hector, now seven, and Hugo, 12, with husband Ian, 45, and lives in Sandiacre, Derbyshire.
She was stunned to receive a letter warning Hector – who plays football, swims twice a week and runs every weekend – was “at risk of high blood pressure and Type 2 Diabetes” in 2019.
Aged four, he weighed 19kg (2st 13lb) and was 103.7 cm tall (3ft 5ins).
“I was devastated when I first read the letter,” she recalls.
“It made me feel like I’d failed Hector.''
“There isn’t an ounce of fat on him. I’d never had any concerns. He was absolutely thriving.”
But the letter said that based on his BMI, Hector was officially overweight.
“I weighed and measured him myself. And according to the NHS website, he was indeed overweight,” says Natalie.
The letter – from Derbyshire Community Health Services – directed Natalie to online advice at the NHS ‘Change 4 Life’ website.
It gives tips on healthy eating, reducing screen time and getting children to take part in an hour of physical activity every day.
Natalie says: “I didn’t know what more I could do. Hector leads an active life.''
“He’s permanently on the move.''
''He plays football, swims and runs 2km every Sunday at our local Parkrun.''
“I breastfed both my sons from birth and made all their baby food from scratch.''
''Hector was always a good eater and enjoys a balanced diet of home-cooked food.''
''He even loves broccoli.''
“If children like Hector are labelled overweight, the Child Measurement Programme really isn’t reflecting an accurate picture of the nation’s health.''
“The letters are a joke and a waste of money too.”
Natalie – who works as a children’s counsellor – believes putting children on unnecessary diets risks causing them psychological damage.
“In our image-obsessed society, we should be instilling body confidence in our children.''
“Initially when I read the letter, I panicked.''
''I felt like a terrible parent and even considered putting Hector on a diet.''
''When I calmed down, common sense prevailed.''
“Of course I wasn’t going to put a physically fit, four-year-old on a diet.''
''But not everybody is so sensible.''
''And it would be easy to overreact after receiving a letter that states, in no uncertain terms, that your child is overweight.”
Natalie claims that putting healthy children on diets can leave them susceptible to eating disorders in later life.
She says: “Labelling a child as overweight puts them at risk of body dysmorphia (a mental health condition where a person worries about ‘flaws’ in their appearance, which are often unnoticeable to others).”
‘Most parents find the test to be useful’
RESPONDING to the criticism, a Department of Health spokesman said: “The National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP) helps inform local and national actions to tackle childhood obesity.
“The new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will lead national efforts to improve and level up the health of the nation. Our approach to the NCMP is reviewed every year, in consultation with a wide range of experts, as well as children and families, school nurses and heads.”
The spokesman said 87 per cent of parents surveyed found the test useful, although it does not measure a child’s physical activity or other health behaviours.
He added that parents should get advice from a GP or school nurse.
The main issue here is stigma
THIS Morning GP Dr Philippa Kaye, 42, is a mother of three from London. She says:
"It’s helpful for parents to know if their child is overweight, as preventing childhood obesity can help prevent obesity in adults.
In adults, 80 per cent of your weight is controlled by your genes.
Environmental factors you can control, like availability of food, how much activity you do and lack of sleep, make up just 15-20 per cent of the picture.
But in kids under 15, those genes aren’t all set yet. Younger children can also even out their weight more easily as they grow.
So it’s important we treat childhood obesity early, to have the biggest chance of preventing adulthood obesity and all the problems that brings.
BMI is not a perfect measure and a one-off value in reception is not always hugely helpful, but what we’re looking at is trends.
The main issue for me is the amount of stigma a letter like this brings. Parents can feel a lot of guilt and shame and anger.
It’s also really important we do not penalise one child and they aren’t told they have to eat differently to everybody else, because that’s where the stigma and mental health issues could begin.
Yo-yo dieting is dangerous and doesn’t work, instead I recommend whole families make changes, like walking more, introducing more fruit and veg, and decreasing the amount of fizzy drinks they consume.
Childhood obesity has been on the rise for a while; we live in an obensenogenic environment. Ultra-processed foods affect the gut-brain connection and mean people feel hungry more quickly after eating.
If you don’t have a lot of money and your local shop doesn’t stock healthy food, it’s difficult for parents.
Lockdown didn’t help, but I don’t think that was the main issue."
One mum told Fabulous: ''My sporty daughter was labelled ‘obese’ in government letter – now she’s trying to skip meals, I’m worried for her.''
On the topic of overweight, obese mum, 19st, who was mistaken for being nine months pregnant drops 10st in one year and looks unrecognisable.
This woman shares her journey of being obese and trolled: 'I was bullied so badly for my 17st frame at school I drank vinegar to be sick and felt suicidal – gastric band saved me.''
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