A Melbourne woman says she thought she was a bad mother after being told her healthy looking four-year-old daughter was "obese" during a routine check-up.
Helen Karalexis was told her daughter Viktoria, who weighs 21.1kg and is 108cm tall, was considered obese according to the body mass index (BMI) during a check-up at a centre in Sunshine.
"I'm thinking 'I've done something wrong here, what have I done to make my daughter obese?'," Mrs Karalexis said.
The mother-of-two said she did not agree that her daughter was obese, but was "nearly convinced" by the nurse.
"They should know by looking at my daughter that she doesn't come in that category (obese)," she said.
"She's a very strong girl, very active, she's got a lot of muscle; muscle weighs more than fat."
Mrs Karalexis thinks that nurses should have more training when using the BMI guide.
"If they are going to use this guide, they should also be educated on what to look out for when they are voicing their opinions to the parent," she told reporters.
The maternal health nurse told the mother-of-two that she should give her daughter skim milk and should reduce her daughter's portion size, despite Mrs Karalexis telling them that Viktoria was not a big eater.
Dietician Melanie McGrice told Nine News that the four-year-old was in the 95th percentile of the BMI, meaning she is considered obese, but that it is important to remember that the index is a population guide and results can be skewed by increased muscle mass.
She says that while giving skim milk to children over two years old is sound advice it is important to look at each case individually.
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