Stop Judging Children By Their BMI

Yesterday, my wife and I received a letter from "Everyone Health" in relation to our son's measurements which were obtained at his school, as part of the National Child Measurement Programme. We were firstly amazed by the fact that our son (Charlie) who is a very healthy, very active five year old, was classed as "Very Overweight". We all like to see the best in our children, but I am pretty sure that anyone who meets Charlie would NOT consider him to be overweight. Our son is very active - attending swimming, football and karate classes. Couple that with the fact that he is always active at home, and that he nearly always chooses the healthy food option (for example preferring fruit instead of biscuits for a snack), I would suggest that Charlie is a very healthy child.
The letter we received about Charlie being "very overweight" was very condescending. It explains that
"Charlie is in the minority of children across the country who are overweight or very overweight for their age. 3 out of 4 children in Reception year have a healthier weight than Charlie............ It is important to be aware that when a child has excess weight for their age it can lead to health problems............... being overweight can also lead to low self-esteem and poor confidence.............. Your school nurse or doctor can also provide further advice and support on how to help your child achieve and maintain a healthier weight".
So, here is the big problem. BMI is a very outdated method of calculating healthy weight. My son isn't the tallest boy in his age group, but he is very strong. He certainly is not carrying an abnormal amount of fat. BMI does not take into account what the weight actually is (for example bone, muscle or fat). This, therefore, makes the whole reading unreliable.
So, what do I do....... should I follow the advice in the letter and make an appointment with our already overburdened GP, or do we need to take the time to see how to get things changed. What if everyone who received this letter made appointments with their GP. It would be ridiculous. It is time for the Government to change the methods used in the National Child Measurement Programme.
I am massive advocate of ensuring that children have a healthy start to life. Yes, this starts with having a healthy body, but what about a healthy mind too. We have not shared the content of the letter with our son but, if we did, he would be quite upset. Do we really want a nation of children who are being branded as "fat" at the age of 5 years old? This really could cause mental anguish in our young people, and we are well aware of the implications of "fat shaming" people - potentially causing eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia - which are probably more life threatening than being overweight at that age.
If Charlies letter was a one-off then I would probably just shut up, and move on. I know, however, that this scheme has been upsetting parents for years. I have two nephews, of Afro-Caribbean heritage who were identified, a few years ago by this scheme, as being obese. This was totally ridiculous. They are both very active and very muscular boys with virtually no fat!
I, therefore, appeal to the Minister of State for Health to step-up and make a change. Yes, we should be making sure that our children are healthy, and happy, but let’s do it the right way. Parents do not need a condescending letter, and children do not need branding as fat when the information has been gathered using out dated methods.

Thank you for reading!