Tory MP Dr. Sarah Wollaston has said that in order to tackle childhood obesity, schools should weigh students each year.
Wollaston, who previously worked as a GP, said that parents often don’t realise that their children are slipping into obesity. Currently, schools weigh students when they start primary school, and when they leave, but statistics have shown that one in three children are overweight by the time they leave primary school.
The MP said: “We should be measuring every year. If children start to slip into difficulties you can let parents know and offer help.
“A survey in Newcastle showed that parents tend to underestimate their children’s weight. It’s about catching them before they slip into obesity.
“Parents want information and the best thing they can do is cut sugar out of their children’s diets. The assumption that parents know that their children are slipping into problems is just not right.
Health campaigners have back this idea – how would you feel about your child being weighed by their school?
