Primary 1 BMI Distribution

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Number of children in Primary 1 receiving a review with valid height and weight data recorded. These statistics have been calculated using the UK 1990 growth reference standards. These are widely accepted as the reference for growth screening in children over four years of age in the UK.

The statistics are derived from height and weight measurements recorded at routine health reviews or selective medicals for children in Primary 1 for NHS Boards in Scotland which participate in the Child Health Systems Programme School system (CHSP School). The number of children measured relates to children with valid height and weight data recorded on the CHSP School.

The number of NHS Boards participating in the CHSP School system and recording reviews has increased since 2000/01 from four to all fourteen Boards in Scotland. This has resulted in an increase in the proportion of children in Primary 1 across Scotland included in the BMI statistics, from approximately 22% in 2000/01 to 92% in 2011/12. Therefore the trend for 'All participating NHS Boards' should be interpreted with a degree of caution. The data for 2011/12 covers all CHP/Council areas in Scotland for the first time (this is the first year that all areas of NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (NHS GG&C) have recorded height and weight measurements for Primary 1 children on the CHSP School system).

NHS Board figures are based on NHS Board of examination and CHP and Council Area figures are based on the child's postcode area of residence (except GG&C and Highland NHS Boards which are partially based on child's postcode). Records where a CHP / Council Area cannot be identified due to unknown or invalid postcode are included in the All participating NHS Boards total. There are a small number of children who are resident out-with the CHPs / Council Areas shown, however they attend a school that participates in the CHSP School and have therefore been included in the All participating NHS Boards total. The sum of individual CHP and Council Areas therefore does not equate to the All participating NHS Boards total. Also this means there may be small differences in the reported figures for Board and CHP / Council Areas which have equivalent geographic boundaries e.g. NHS Borders board area, Borders CHP and Scottish Borders Council Area.

The vast majority of independent primary schools (which account for approximately 2% of children in Primary 1 in Scotland) do not record height and weight data on CHSP School, although there are local arrangements in some NHS Board areas to record results for some schools. These represent approximately 20% of pupils in Primary 1 in independent schools in 2011/12. The proportion of children attending independent schools is highly variable between different areas. Children attending independent schools tend to be from less deprived areas and this should be borne in mind when interpreting the figures. There is variation in the timing of the Primary 1 measurement across NHS Boards, with some schools recording measurements early in the academic year and others towards the end of the academic year. Therefore the child's age at measurement can range from around 4.5 to 6.25 years. In 2011/12, 50% of children were aged between 4.5 and 5.5 years at the time of measurement, and 48% were aged over 5.5 years up to 6.25 years (inclusive). There has been some variation in these rates over time with the percentage of children aged between 4.5 and 5.5 years ranging between around 40% and 50% over the period. However, as BMI centile results are adjusted for age, this variation, and the inclusion of a small percentage of children in Primary 1 over the age of 6.25 years, has negligible impact on the BMI distribution rates reported.

NHS Borders: During school year 2002/03, only a selected subset of Primary 1 children in NHS Borders were given a review. As data from these targeted reviews may be unrepresentative of data for NHS Borders Primary 1 children as a whole, 2002/03 figures for NHS Borders, Borders CHP and Scottish Borders Council Area have been excluded.
NHS Fife: During school year 2008/09, some schools in Kirkcaldy gave Primary 1 reviews to a selected subset of their Primary 1 pupils. Data for these schools have been excluded from the statistics for school year 2008/09, so reducing the number of reviews included for Kirkcaldy and Levenmouth CHP, Fife Council Area and Fife NHS Board.
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (NHS GG&C)/ NHS Highland: The former NHS Argyll & Clyde ceased to exist on 31st March 2006 and the administration was split between two sub-areas that now fall under the administration of NHS GG&C and NHS Highland respectively. Records for this area are still recorded on CHSP School with a NHS board of examination of NHS Argyll & Clyde. These records have been allocated to NHS GG&C or NHS Highland based on the child's postcode of residence.
NHS Highland implemented CHSP School in school year 2008/09 and figures for the constituent CHP and Council Areas are shown separately from school year 2008/09: Highland Council Area, Argyll & Bute Council Area, Mid-Highland CHP, North Highland CHP, South East Highland CHP and Argyll & Bute CHP.

The Argyll & Bute component of the Highland NHS Board figures relates to children living in Argyll & Bute CHP or Council Area (these children may not necessarily attend a school in Argyll & Bute). School year 2011/12 is the first year that all areas of NHS GG&C have recorded height and weight measurements for Primary 1 children on the CHSP School system. The NHS GG&C data available for previous years (2006/07 to 2010/11) are partial, with height and weight measurements recorded for only around 13% to 14% of all NHS GG&C children eligible for Primary 1. The partial data relates mainly to NHS GG&C children living in Renfrewshire CHP / Council area and are therefore not representative of the board area as a whole. Therefore the reported prevalence of (un)healthy weight NHS GG&C board area for 2011/12 are not comparable with the rates for previous years. Data for Renfrewshire council/CHP area are available for the years 2006/07 to 2011/12. Data for East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow City council/CHP areas are available for 2011/12 only. Data for Glasgow City CHP sub-sectors (Glasgow North East, Glasgow North West and Glasgow South) are also presented in the CHP tables. NHS Lothian: Due to phased implementation of the CHSP School, for 2000/01 to 2003/04, figures relate to Former West Lothian Trust only. Figures for 2004/05 and 2005/06 include data for all of NHS Lothian. In 2006/07 and 2007/08, in West Lothian CH&CP / Council Area, the majority of children had height and weight measured prior to school entry so these measurements are not recorded on the CHSP School. Therefore figures for 2006/07 and 2007/08 exclude West Lothian CH&CP / Council Area.