The Weight of School Weigh-in's

Buckle up ya’ll because we are going for a ride! The National Obesity Forum in the United Kingdom has stated that children should be weighed at the beginning of the school year and again at the end of the year to ensure that COVID19 weight gain is lost. They plan to calculate BMI (Body Mass Index) and ensure that BMI percentages drop by the end of the school year. This proposal has started quite the debate in British media. Britain has approached their obesity epidemic differently than America, however children obesity prevalence is relatively the same in both countries. American social feeds are now starting to trend this discussion and many American people are thinking that a proposal has been made to weigh American children whenever they return to school. I have not found evidence that the American education systems plan to weigh children upon returning to school. * sigh of relief*. Check out my bullet points on why Americas need to ensure that our children are not weighed in schools (should the suggestion arise in your school districts).

-There is Nothing to Go Off Of- There are no baseline weight measurements to compare these new numbers to. How will you even know if they child gained weight over the pandemic or not?

-BMI is Not Reliable- Children can have varying statures and muscle tones so calculating BMI percentages are unreliable, especially in the hands of someone not trained on how to evaluate it. Children naturally have higher fat rates than adults and rates greatly vary between age and pubescence. What if a kid was held back a grade? Maybe they had a growth’s spurt during the pandemic? There are so many factors that BMI does not address.

-Lack of Privacy- Nursing will already be overstaffed which would lead to coaches and teachers weighing children in student-peer settings. This is a shoe-in to promote bullying and degrade body image perceptions that could stick for life; especially if one is already self-conscience about their appearance or weight.

-Promotes Psychological and Eating Disorders- Weigh-in sports such as wrestling, gymnastics and weightlifting have been proven to generate psychological and eating disorders among individuals. School weighing’s would only mirror these disordered patterns. Additionally, a desire to show "improvement" can lead to a life-long trend of yo-yo dieting which predominately furthers weight gain.

-Hormone Levels Change- Stress can affect hormones such as cortisol which is linked to poor weight management. Puberty can imbalance hormones and cause weight gain. Personal growth rates and pubescence will not be factored into these weigh-ins.

-There Is A Pandemic!!!- These children have been locked up for who knows how long with tons of emotional stressors and lack of outlets. Playgrounds were shut down, public areas were locked up, many could not go down the street to see their friends. Everyone, including children, have been locked up in their house for months! Of course, many have gained weight.

-Obesity prevalence was already high- Address the education system, lunch programs and lack of physical exercise throughout the school day before looking for fingers to point. Children are eating a majority of their calories at school, spending more than half their day at school being inactive, and then having to come home and do homework. Figure out how to promote physical exercise multiple times throughout the day and address the

obesity numbers that are already out there. Two birds one stone.

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*steps off soap box*

Childhood obesity is prevalent in America, but the approach to ensuring that our children are healthy is multi-factorial and not dependent on BMI. Weighing children at school can create a whole span of problems we do not want. If your are concerned about your child's weight speak with a pediatrician and a registered dietitian.