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Obese?

Eddie Mair | 14:21 UK time, Monday, 4 August 2008

Or just very overweight? We'll talk about this story tonight: here's how PA is reporting it:

"MINISTERS WANT CURB ON WORD 'OBESE' IN LETTERS TO PARENTS
By Jane Kirby, PA Health Correspondent.
Ministers want to refrain from using the word "obese" when telling parents
their child is overweight, under plans announced today.


The Department of Health is urging all primary care trusts (PCTs) to
automatically tell parents their child's height and weight as part of a national
measuring programme.
But ministers do not want the word "obese" to be used in the letters home
after research showed it "shuts people down".
Instead, the heaviest children should be referred to as being "very
overweight", they said.
Dr Will Cavendish, director of health and well-being at the Department of
Health, said it was important parents received information that was useful and
which helped them take action.
"We have not banned (the word obese) but we have chosen not to use it," he
said.
He added: "There's no point giving them a letter that doesn't have any impact
on their behaviour.""

1600 UPDATE: The full department of health info is . If you cursor down on the page you can find the link to the full document.

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