Healthy five year old told: you’re overweight

HEALTHY - Oliver

AN active Hollinwood five year old has been labelled overweight by a government initiative.

St Margaret’s primary school pupil Oliver Knight had a medical as part of the National Child Measurement Programme to assess his body mass index.

At 3ft 6in tall and weighing three stone three pounds, Oliver’s BMI was in the 91st percentile — putting him in the “overweight” category.

Mum Sharon (40) was shocked, since her son is energetic and loves vegetables.

Sharon, of Chelbourne Drive, Hollinwood, said: “Oliver is such a skinny little thing. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Firstly I can’t believe they’re doing this to five year olds. They’re growing and they need three meals a day.

“But Oliver eats healthily all the time; we have our own vegetable patch and he loves salads. The other mums get wound up because their children won’t eat vegetables. We don’t buy sweets or sugary treats, because I have an autistic son who needs to eat healthily. I just don’t have them in the house.”

Sharon says a typical home meal would be chicken with salad and potatoes.

“Oliver exercises all the time, because we have family days out where we go walking or cycling. He’s absolutely full of energy.”

In February Oliver took part in a school project on healthy eating. Sharon says when he got home, he didn’t want his tea or breakfast the following day because he was scared of getting fat. She isn’t showing him the BMI test result because she is worried the same thing will happen again.

According to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health UK 2-18 years growth chart, a child with a BMI above the 91st percentile is classed as overweight.

A Public Health England spokesman said: “Parents receive these results because they want to be aware of potential issues with their child’s health. Evidence shows parents do not always recognise overweight in children - which is why an objective measure, rather than visual assessment, is important.”