The National Obesity Forum has criticised aspects of the government's drive to reduce obesity among schoolchildren.

Health minister Ivan Lewis has announced plans to send letters to parents of reception and Year 6 pupils detailing their child's weight and offering advice.

The forum welcomed this measure, but said the government's decision to avoid using the word obese was "prissy and namby-pamby".

"The Americans have gone back to using the term because it's the kind of shock word that makes parents sit up and take notice," spokesperson Tam Fry stated.

He also advised that a body mass index system would be a more accurate way of measuring weight than a sliding scale.

Paul Sacher, a paediatric dietician at the Childhood Nutrition Research Centre recently lent his support to the campaign, telling the Independent that there is a "major problem" with parent's perception of their child's weight.