It is not always easy as a parent to tell if your child is a healthy weight for their age and height. Children and teenagers need to grow, but they are healthiest if they stay within a certain weight range as they grow. This is called a healthy weight for their age. In order to determine if your child falls within their healthy weight category, consider exploring the following three methods.
- The National Child Measurement Programme
As part of the NHS National Child Measurement Programme, children are now weighed and measured at school. The information is used by the NHS to plan and provide better health services for children.
If you have a child in reception (aged four to five) or year 6 (aged 10 to 11), you will receive a letter with more information from your local authority before your child is measured.
On the day, trained staff will weigh your child and inform you, the parent, of whether your child is in the healthy weight range. If your child turns out to be overweight, you can get support from your local authority or NHS service.
Although it is not compulsory, the more children who participate, the clearer the national picture of children’s health will become. The information is combined to help provide better health services for all the children in your area.
- The BMI Healthy Weight Calculator
The BMI (body mass index) measure, used by healthcare professionals, is a good way of finding out whether a child is a healthy weight. By comparing your child’s weight with their age, height and sex, the calculator can tell whether they are growing as expected.
- The Change4Life Scheme
The NHS Change4Life scheme has a whole section dedicated to your child’s weight. In cooperation with the National Child Measurement Programme, Change4Life offers an extensive collection of advice about what to do if you think your child is overweight.
To find out more about your child’s weight, visit the following sites:
– The National Child Measurement Programme:
https://digital.nhs.uk/services/national-child-measurement-programme/
– The BMI Healthy Weight Calculator:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/bmi/calculator.html
– The Change4Life Scheme:
https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/your-childs-weight/home
– NHS Advice