I’m fuming my slim 12-year-old was fat-shamed by the government – I was hounded by weekly texts asking me to weigh her
A spokesman said: “With record numbers of children and young people seeking treatment for eating disorders, and waiting times at unprecedented lengths, continuing the National Child Measurement Programme is a misguided approach.“I was raging,” says Gemma, from Braintree, Essex. “Lilly, who ate healthily and did loads of exercise, had been given a label that made no sense. It was horrific.


But worried mums say the letters do more harm than good, with one finding her seven-year-old daughter standing on the bathroom scales after reading the warning herself.“Instead, it said she was ‘obese’, and Sienna had read it.“Research shows it has minimal impact on reducing obesity, yet it may contribute to an unhealthy relationship with food, damaged self-esteem and disordered eating.
‘It was humiliating’
Teacher Stuetina Avery Hawkins was heartbroken when her football-mad eight-year-old, Sienna, was labelled “obese”.
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Lauren was so outraged by the move that she launched the Bye Bye BMI campaign, to urge the use of different calculation methods.OPENING the letter her daughter Lilly brought home from school, Gemma Ranson felt a ripple of shock.My slim daughter had been fat-shamed by the government. It was humiliating for her and I felt I was being parent-shamedOur children deserve better than the state giving them a complex or, worse, an eating disorder before they’ve hit puberty. Shame never made anyone weigh less.
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Gemma believes the use of BMI — which measures height against weight — is why Lilly “failed”, adding: “It doesn’t take into account bone density, height, early puberty or muscle mass. It means slim children who are disproportionately short or tall, or have started puberty earlier, are fat-shamed.I’ve watched my own boys – aged eight and five – chub up, then turn into beanpoles with a sudden growth spurt. Physical development doesn’t fit neatly on a chart.
But Professor Simon Kenny, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Children and Young People, warned: “Obesity can have a major impact on a child’s life — it affects every organ in the body and is effectively a health timebomb for the future, increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes, cancer, mental health issues and other illnesses.”The 35-year-old, who is also mum to Molly, five, and married to events medic Ben, 24, said: “Maggie is a pageant star competing in the petite category and is healthy and slim.The weigh-ins generally take place early in the school year and parents can opt out. But many claim they were unaware of the scheme.Her self-esteem plummeted and she started to worry about everything she ate.“I worried I’d be targeted as a bad parent if I didn’t call,” she says.Essex County Council said they want to help children “thrive”, adding: “All parents have the option to opt out of the NHS National Child Measurement Programme.”
“In my opinion, the measurements push children towards developing an eating disorder.Gemma Ranson
“The letter felt like a death sentence. To tell an in-demand child model she is overweight when she is clearly not is insanity. The system is broken.“Maggie read the letter and became paranoid about what she ate. I found her weighing herself in the bathroom. It broke my heart.She says of the weigh-ins: They use a flawed and rudimentary measure to pick out these supposedly “at risk” kids, without knowing a jot about their lifestyle, diet and genetics.Unbeknown to Gemma, Lilly had been put on a set of scales at school last year, aged 11.The mum, from Milton Keynes, Bucks, who also has kids Miyla, 16, and twins Fin and Wyatt, four, says: “When Sienna handed me a letter, I thought it would be about an after-school club.Her sporty 12-year-old, who models for brands such as Next, Joules and Argos, had been declared “overweight” by the Government.
“This had a devastating toll on her,” she says. “Her self-esteem plummeted and she started to worry about everything she ate.”Gemma Ranson
I do not want any more children to suffer like my child did. It is time to end the madnessAccording to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, this is “unacceptably high”.Gemma — who is also mum to Teddy, 14, and Ruby, three — spoke out as stats released yesterday by the National Child Measurement Programme revealed 9.6 per cent of kids starting school aged four and five are obese — up from 9.2 per cent in 2022/2023.“It is time to stop using BMI,” she says. “The results do not combat obesity. They cause weight-related issues in slim and normal kids.”“I do not want any more children to suffer like my child did. It is time to end the madness.”


Eating disorder charity Beat is warning parents about the school weigh-ins. “Now she thinks she is fat and talks about dieting.”“The person who answered said Lilly and I needed to attend a six-week programme to learn about portion sizes and changing her diet.”SENIOR Fabulous writer and mum of two Alex Lloyd says most parents are well aware of childhood obesity risks – and government “shaming” letters do not help. The NHS spends some £6.5billion a year treating obesity-related issues in England and has a range of services to support families.This includes 30 specialist clinics, which treat thousands of two to 18-year-olds with health complications linked to severe obesity.
Franchise boss Lauren Ormesher, from Skelmersdale, Lancs, was horrified when her daughter Maggie, seven, was labelled overweight two years ago. Gemma Ranson
Meanwhile, 22 per cent of ten and 11-year-olds were put in the same weight category — a dip from the previous recorded 22.7 per cent.“We’d advise parents to consider whether participating in the programme is right for their child.” Lancashire County and Milton Keynes councils did not comment by the time of going to press.Gemma says she was “hounded” by weekly texts telling her to weigh Lilly.
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“The letter said her body mass index (BMI) was in the 94 percentile, meaning she was ‘overweight’,” says former carer Gemma, “I was mortified. Lilly clearly wasn’t obese.”“We are told social media is putting our kids in danger. These letters are having a worse effect.”