And I though that barrel had been well and truly scraped. Apparently not.
They found that looking at a few simple measurements, such as a child’s birthweight and whether the mother smoked, was enough to predict obesity.
They just can’t help themselves, can they? Who would have thought a few burning leaves could cause so much devastation?
“The message is simple. All at-risk children should be identified, monitored and given good advice, but this costs money.”
Now don’t that send a chill down the spine?
“Tools like this will help change that attitude. Once we use the tool, we need intervention programmes for children at a greater risk.”
The state is mother, the state is father…
The calculator uses that notoriously blunt instrument, BMI, meaning that the offspring of professional sportsmen will be right up there in high-risk territory.
I’m wondering what this ‘simple tool’ could become in the hands of the health visitor who put a friend’s baby on the ‘at risk’ register because he was ‘below the average weight for his age’.
My friend – a petite 4’11” tall – tried repeatedly to explain the concept of ‘average’ until she was warned that her obstructive behaviour would result in Social Services being called.
but this costs money
The economy being what it is right now they don’t give too much of a shit about the effects of anything on actual people.
If the tide ever turns with the government having billions to throw away on social engineering projects and a shortage of healthy workers ? Well then they’ll just have to step in.
For The Greater Good.