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Amid the nation's childhood obesity epidemic, schools in nearly a quarter of all states record body mass index scores, measuring hundreds of thousands of students
I'm on the fence about it. The schools are only trying to help. My parents say that I was a normal kid, but looking back I was always heavier than everyone else and probably 15 lbs. overweight. This is why I support it. However, I oppose it because when you're weighing a bunch of kids, they're going to compare each other. And if the majority of the class is 65 lbs. and you have a kid who is 50-something or 70-something, they are the black sheep.
We already know that there is a correlation between obesity and having a low-income.
Amid the nation's childhood obesity epidemic, schools in nearly a quarter of all states record body mass index scores, measuring hundreds of thousands of students
Where do you stand????
It's none of their business. Providing decent school lunches (and I don't mean only a salad bar Michelle O.) and leave the rest to the parents. The school's responsibility is education. The only thing they should be concerned about outside of education is their own school lunches and to monitor any potential signs of child abuse whether from home or outside of the home environment such as bullying and NO, they are not responsible for handing out contraceptives.
I think it's none of their business and a bit silly given that schools are scaling back the daily PE requirement that we had in the 80's and 90's and also eliminating recess. There really is no wonder there is an obesity issue and the schools are part of the problem. To now go to the trouble of measuring BMI is not helping. They need to stay in their lane and do what THEY do best...physical education, getting rid of soda machines in schools, and recess. This stuff is not rocket science.
If anything, I would heavily encourage parents to send kids that bring lunch with non-chip/non-junk food snacks and provide healthy meals while at school.
They ought to also figure out how they can feed kids whose parents are not sending them with money to eat. They throw away lunches everyday. Why not give it to the kids whose parents do not have $1 for lunch per child everyday? There are alot of kids in this in-between area that don't qualify for free lunch and yet for whose parents it is a struggle to provide $5 per child for lunch every week. For some people, that is their gas or bus money to get to/from work and they do not have extra.
I remember a number of public health interventions in elementary school back in the 1960's. We were weighed and measured twice a year, with the figures entered on our report cards. There were screenings for scoliosis and tuberculosis, and we received mass immunizations for polio and measles. I don't recall any concerns about government intrusion into family life, and this was at the height of the Red Scare.
I remember a number of public health interventions in elementary school back in the 1960's. We were weighed and measured twice a year, with the figures entered on our report cards. There were screenings for scoliosis and tuberculosis, and we received mass immunizations for polio and measles. I don't recall any concerns about government intrusion into family life, and this was at the height of the Red Scare.
This. My school also taught good eating habits, had a Junior Fireman program, (we had to draw a diagram of our house with an escape route) and had a cop in a squad car come out and test us on bike safety before they licensed our bikes. The bike had to be registered with the police before we could ride it to school. One can only imagine how some parents would react to all that government intervention now.
And for ten cents a week they gave us a daily carton of milk so we'd have strong bones so we could fight the commies.
I think it's a great idea. Obesity is pretty much an epidemic at this point, and sending healthcare costs through the roof. Not to mention most of the leading killers in this country are directly related to obesity or lifestyle issues. Obese kids typically turn into obese adults, so the sooner the issue is remedied, the better.
Childhood obesity is a complex, multifactorial problem. I don't think weighing kids and plotting a BMI is such a good idea, without any further followup. It's not like, "you need to be immune to measles, so we're giving you this shot", an approach which is no longer done in any event.
Childhood obesity is a complex, multifactorial problem. I don't think weighing kids and plotting a BMI is such a good idea, without any further followup. It's not like, "you need to be immune to measles, so we're giving you this shot", an approach which is no longer done in any event.
But what's the downside? It's just a piece of information and maybe it will be a wake up call for parents and the kids. I'm tired of the assumption (not speaking to you Katiana, just in general) that parents are stupid. Of course there could be some wild and crazy parents out there that could start their kids on a starvation diet, but really I betcha most parents would blow it off or maybe change their families diet just a bit.
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