Child obesity warnings for parents

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Youngsters in England and Wales are currently weighed at the ages of five and 10, but their parents are informed of the results only if they request them.

Under new plans to fight child obesity, however, parents could be handed the results automatically.

The Department of Health said it needed to "work harder" to cut the rising levels of obesity in children.

A spokeswoman said: "Tackling child obesity is a government priority and the weighing and measuring programme is an important element of this. The programme is a vital part of engaging with children and families about healthy lifestyles and weight issues.

"We need to take this further and help parents to understand the importance of healthy weight for their families and support them to make them to make lifestyle changes.

"Parents should encourage their children to participate in this programme, so we can ensure we have robust data to inform local planning for child health services.

"This valuable information will also help to increase our understanding around child growth patterns, which is critical to combating the rising tide of obesity."

A report last week by the Government's Foresight think-tank warned a majority of Britons will be obese by 2050 if weight gain in the population continues at the current rate.

It predicted that in just over 40 years, 60% of men, 50% of women and a quarter of all children in the UK are likely to be clinically obese. A mere 10% of men and 15% of women were expected to have a "healthy" weight in relation to their height.