A FIT and healthy boy was so upset he refused to eat his dinner after NHS bosses sent his parents a letter saying he was overweight.
Thomas Halton, 11, of Worsbrough Road, Blacker Hill, was weighed and measured at school as part of a national programme to encourage children to get active and eat a balanced diet.
The keen trial bike rider was nearly in tears when the letter was sent home saying his body mass index, used to calculate a healthy weight, was too high.
Tom's dad Dan, 46, said the letters were doing more damage than good. "You might as well send a T-shirt with 'FATTY' on it. The impression it gives is that your child is fat, it's your fault and they will die from a horrible disease. You can't use tinpot psychology like this on kids or their parents. There's so little thought about the damage it can do." Assistant director for public health Sharon Stoltz said: "Mr Halton has raised some very important points about the way the National Child Measurement Programme is delivered in Barnsley and NHS Barnsley would like to thank him for the effort he has made to bring these to our attention."
Full story in this week's Chronicle.
