Brits Want Even 2-Year Olds Screened For Obesity

British Government advisers have counselled the state that even children as young as two should not be spared from examination of signs of obesity. This would help prevent future health struggles.

Health officials are asking experts to develop tests for children to determine if they are becoming fat.

Advisers say that it is often too late by primary school to start addressing bad habits, reports the Telegraph.

At a recent seminar hosted by the Westminster Health Forum, Dr Will Cavendish, from the Department of Health said: "The evidence is pretty horrible that one in four children are overweight or obese at reception and one in three at year six.

"Of course, we know that child obesity doesn't suddenly pop up at age four, five. We also know that we need to act on the early years, and indeed the pre-birth, family environment in order to get at this really effectively."

According to Tam Fry, Chairman of the Child Growth Foundation, it was crucial to be monitoring the weight of children.

He told the Daily Mail: "One reason we have an obesity problem is that for 25 years we have consistently failed to monitor children and their increasing weight from pre-school, such that we now have 20 per cent overweight or obese at school."

Advertisement

Source-ANI
TAN/L