Healthcare professionals urged not to call children obese

The parents of overweight children should not be told that they are obese, says new guidance issued to healthcare professionals.

According to Public Health England (PHE), doctors and nurses should avoid using the word when discussing weight management with parents.

Instead, they are encouraged to use more positive, friendly terminology such as achieving a ‘healthier weight status’ and a ‘healthier lifestyle’.

The 14-page document, entitled ‘Let’s Talk About Weight’, urges those healthcare professionals to ‘take care with the language’  when speaking to parents of children aged four to 12.

The report says: ‘Terms such as ‘obese’ are not generally well accepted by parents/carers when talking about their child’s weight.’

Figures published last week indicated that one in five children leave primary school obese. 

‘Let’s Talk About Weight’ comes a year after Britain’s chief medical officer said letters warning parents that their child was overweight shouldn’t be watered down. 

Dame Sally Davies said at the time: ‘What worries me is how we have started to normalise it,

‘In my generation it was normal to see [children’s] ribs on the beach. That was healthy. 

According to Public Health England (PHE), doctors and nurses should avoid using the word when discussing weight management with parents

‘How have we lost this national understanding of what is healthy and what is unhealthy?’ 

The chief medical officer said obese is a ‘physical description’ and should not be seen as an offensive remark. 

PHE said they would review the ‘fat letters’ sent to parents in England informing them of their children’s health status.   

The Royal Society for Public Health slammed the letters, dubbing them crude and unhelpful.

PHE offers template letters for local authorities to issue to parents. 

It said: ‘Talking to children and their families about being overweight can be difficult. Our guidance is there to help professionals discuss the issue with the whole family in the most effective way possible.’