Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The Massachusetts legislature has unanimously agreed to a new regulation that requires public schools to send children's Body Mass Index (BMI) results home to their parents. Results will be sent home for children in first, fourth, seventh, and 10th grades.

The new rule will replace the current process of weighing children every year. Eighteen other states require a body mass index calculation, but Massachusetts joins a smaller list of states, including Arkansas, that requires schools to notify parents about it.

An eating disorder support association has expressed concern over the new regulation, pointing to the fact that many eating disorders are triggered when a child's weight is measured in school or a child is forced to go on a diet. Still, several health groups support the regulation, which will be phased into Massachusetts schools over the next 18 months.

Source: South Coast Today

Labels: legislation, schools, overweight children, body_mass_index

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Legislation that was passed in 2007 will result in weight and body mass indices (BMI) being collected from students throughout the state of New York. Doctors will test the students when they come in for their student health certificates.

"The information will be reported to schools, creating a set of data that will allow health officials to evaluate obesity levels based on geography... The data will be passed on to the state Department of Health unless parents ask to have the information excluded."

A 2004 survey of New York's third-graders found that more than 20 percent were obese. New York is one of 13 states that tracks the BMI of its students. Source: Associated Press

Labels: legislation, body_mass_index

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A study by researchers in British Columbia, Canada, has found that increased physical education classes don't improve body mass index (BMI) for schoolchildren.

"[Dr. Kevin] Harris said researchers looked at 13 trials of six months to three years in which pre- and post-BMI measurements were taken. In studies involving nearly 10,000 children, primarily in elementary schools, none demonstrated a reduction in BMI with those who were assigned to the most phys-ed time, compared to those who didn't have as much."

The information, which was presented at the Canadian Pediatric Society conference in Victoria, is expected to diminish hopes that more school-based phys-ed classes would have been a cure-all for childhood obesity. While increased physical activity in school does have tremendous health benefits for children, it appears weight loss may not be one of them. Source: The Vancouver Sun

Labels: schools, physical_education, body_mass_index

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A team from the National Institutes of Health recently reported that the current teen generation is likely to be the first generation whose life expectancy will not increase. This fact is largely due, they say, to the surge in childhood obesity.

"'Obesity prevention starts prenatally,' [Mary Margaret Gottesman, RN, PhD, CPNP, PNP] says. 'Although we don't understand exactly the mechanism, we have found that maternal overweight is a big predictor of overweight children.'"

Gottesman and others recommend that nurses, who perform height and weight checks during office visits, should input the data into a BMI (body mass index) calculator and keep an on-going record of each child's BMI, alerting a parent or guardian if the child is at risk of becoming overweight or obese. She also supports nutritional discussions with the whole family during wellness check-ups. Read more at News.Nurse.com.

Labels: prevention, body_mass_index, lifestyle

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When a child is diagnosed as being overweight or obese, the first thing parents often think is that they have to help their kid lose weight. But, surprisingly, many experts say that the first goal is simply to not gain anymore weight.

"If you remember that your child is going to keep getting taller as he approaches and goes through puberty, it makes it easy to understand why simply not gaining weight can be helpful. Even if your overweight child isn't losing weight, as long as he isn't gaining weight or at least isn't gaining weight as quickly, he can slim out and reach a healthy BMI as he gets taller."

Once a child has met his goal of not gaining weight for a few months, you can work with a pediatrician to set actual weight loss goals. Read more at Pediatrics.About.com.

Specialty high school boarding schools can help kids with emotional or behavioral issues. Oakley School is a private boarding school near Park City, Utah.

Labels: weight_loss, body_mass_index, puberty

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It's easy to blame schools for the childhood obesity epidemic. After all, until recently, unhealthy snacks and beverages were available to children both during the school day and after school. But according to new research from Ohio State University, school provides a structured environment similar to the workweek for adults, in which students have less access to food, healthier choices of food, and more activity than they do at home.

The study used data from a survey of over 5,000 students throughout the United States and found that BMI measurements of overweight children rose more than three times faster during summer vacation than during the school year. Interestingly, those with racial and ethnic predisposition for obesity had higher BMIs than those without racial and ethnic predisposition only during the summer - not during the school year.

Study authors conclude that while schools can do a better job in teaching children about healthy food and activity choices, the major part of the childhood obesity problem lies outside of school.

Labels: schools, education, body_mass_index

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As concern about childhood obesity continues, some schools have begun requiring that students be weighed and measured to have their Body Mass Index (BMI) calculated. If a child’s BMI is high, a “report card” is sent home to the parents. Some feel that this goes beyond a school’s authority and responsibility.

“Calculating body mass index has nothing to do with teaching students history and English and math – things that public schools… would do well to focus on. it presumes – with no compelling rationale – that teachers are reliable trustees for health-related information, and that the public school system will offer reliable follow-up for those children deemed to be overweight or physically unfit.” [Source: Fox News]

Opponents of the practice also worry that it will further stigmatize kids who are overweight, and no real benefit will come as a result of the assessments.

 

Labels: schools, bmi, body_mass_index

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