We’ve been hearing for a while about the growing childhood obesity crisis. In Ohio, 30% of children are considered either overweight or obese. That’s got public health officials asking - how do we get families to realize that their kids are at risk for obesity and its associated diseases? One option involves sending “body report cards” home from school. Eileen Seeholzer, Associate Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and the medical director of the Weight Management Center at MetroHealth talked with Anne Glausser about this practice.
Here are some key takeaways from their conversation:
- Ohio is one of about 25 states to implement BMI (body mass index) screening in schools.
- Grades screened: K, 3, 5 and 9
- About 75% of Ohio counties participated in the screening program, but only about 20% of eligible kids were screened.
- Originally the BMI screening program required schools to participate and notify parents of kids found to be overweight, but that’s since changed to an “opt in” system.
- BMI screening in children is recommenced to be done once a year.
- There's a stigma attached to BMI, so there's some risk for potential harm in the form of bullying and eating disorders.
- Screening means notifying the parents, whereas surveillance does not inform parents and is used to identify trends or monitor policies.
- CDC recommends following certain safeguards, such as appropriate staff training and consent procedures, which can be found here.
- Prior research in Arkansas and California tracked kids who received letters, but they didn’t lose weight.
- School based program is not likely to be effective if it’s a standalone program.
- Locally, the IMPACT study led by researchers at Case Western Reserve University, looks to better understand the different approaches to weight interventions.
Additional Resources:
CDC: BMI Measurement in Schools
NIH Study with Case: Addressing Childhood Obesity Where Children Live, Learn and Play (Part II)