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New health check-ups for mums and tots in Scotland

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As part of plans to tackle obesity in Scotland, doctors will weigh new mums and their babies at regular intervals.

Women will be weighed around six months after giving birth, while their babies will be weighed at one-year and two-year intervals.

The proposals by the Scottish Government are part of a ten-year strategy to improve the eating habits of mothers and children.

Official figures show that in 2008 more than half of Scottish women (59.6 percent) were overweight or obese, an increase of 12.4 percent from 1995.

A third of children (33.6 percent) were over the healthy weight range in 2008, an increase from 29.8 percent in 1998.

The government established a National Indicator, which tracks progress towards achieving ‘national outcomes’, to curb obesity by 2018.

The new initiative, Maternal and Infant Nutrition Strategy, would offer new mums a health check between six and twelve months after having a baby to check whether they are at risk of obesity, diabetes, vitamin deficiency or osteoporosis.

If a child is found to be gaining weight rapidly, they will be referred for further help.

You can read the full story in My Kids Health.

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