BMI Report Cards: More Harm Than Good?

[Northerner]

With all due respect to the American Academy of Pediatrics, I strenuously object to their recent recommendation that all schools should notify parents if their child is overweight or obese. I believe that discussions about children's BMI should stay in the doctor's (or other health care professional's) office -- with open communication and positive relationships characterized by sensitivity, honesty, trust and respect, as recommended in a 2012 review in Pediatric Obesity.

The so-called 'fat letters' are unwarranted, unproven and potentially harmful.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dayle-hayes-ms-rd/bmi-report-cards-more-harm-than-good_b_3797678.html

 

[LeeLee]

I'm torn on this one. There are lots of parents who really don't realise that their child is overweight, and early intervention can help. On the other hand, alienating the parents by appearing to single out their child for unwanted attention is asking for rebellion!

I can see this from the point of view of the fat child of an overweight mother and slightly tubby father, whose strategy was to put just me 'on a diet'. Bad idea! It would have been better to educate my parents on healthy eating for the whole family - but that was unheard of way back when.

 

[Northerner]

I'm torn on this one. There are lots of parents who really don't realise that their child is overweight, and early intervention can help. On the other hand, alienating the parents by appearing to single out their child for unwanted attention is asking for rebellion!

I can see this from the point of view of the fat child of an overweight mother and slightly tubby father, whose strategy was to put just me 'on a diet'. Bad idea! It would have been better to educate my parents on healthy eating for the whole family - but that was unheard of way back when.

Certainly that would be the best option. I think the main problem lies with the definitions of 'overweight', where maybe a single measurement doesn't take into account the actual individual - whether it is a chronic problem for the child or just the fact that children's bodies are changing all the time.