Parents urged to check if child is obese with online test

Their child's height and weight will be measured at primary school and the results sent to them in a letter. This will direct them to an internet check that will tell them if their child is overweight.

The letters will also suggest remedies, such as a change in diet or more exercise, and point families towards local health services.

In extreme cases, older children can be offered surgery to reduce their weight, such as a gastric band.

A DoH spokeswoman said: "We want to ensure that parents are aware of the options available to them so that they can take responsibility for choosing the most suitable ways to support their child in achieving a healthy weight."

"We hope that the provision of this information will prompt a conversation in families about healthy lifestyles and weight issues, helping them to understand the importance of healthy weight for their family, and supporting them to make lifestyle changes or take appropriate action accordingly."

Measuring the height and weight of five to 10-year-olds is part of the National Child Measuring programme which was reintroduced two years ago.

Analysis of the data will show trends in obesity among children from when they start primary school to when they leave.

Plans to inform parents about their child's weight are part of the Health and Social Care Bill, which was published today.

Currently, parents have to ask the school to send them the information about their child's height and weight.

The new rules mean parents will have to opt out of the programme or will automatically receive the results of the tests.

Obesity rates in England have more than tripled since the 1980s. About one in five adults are obese and more than half either obese or overweight - almost 24 million people.

The latest figures show one in 10 girls and eight per cent of boys under the age of 20 are chronically overweight.

By 2010 a third of all men and 28 per cent of women in England will be obese, according to figures from the Department of Health. By 2050, experts predict 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women and a quarter of all children in the UK are likely to be clinically obese.

Obesity is defined by a Body Mass Index (BMI), a measurement relating weight and height, of 30 and over. People who are overweight have a BMI that is between 25 and 30.