Is It Time to Remove BMI Screening from School Settings?

• Published in: Childhood obesity 2021-03, Vol.17 (2), p.77-78
• Main Authors: Kyle, Theodore K, Armstrong, Sarah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Body mass index; Body measurements; Children & youth; Obesity; Public schools; Stigma; Students
• ISSN: 2153-2168; 2153-2176
• DOI: 10.1089/chi.2021.29011.editorial

By 2013, 25 states required schools to screen students for high BMI and 11 states required reporting those results to parents.3 Both Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)4 and that American Academy of Pediatrics5 have neither endorsed nor rejected such programs. Some were concerned that parents would put children on an overly restrictive diet in response to reports of a high BMI.1 Although some argued that simply increasing parental awareness of a child's high BMI would lead to positive change, subsequent research suggests that youth who perceive themselves to have a high weight status are more likely to have obesity as adults than youth who inaccurately think they do not.6 More recently, a randomized controlled trial of BMI reporting in California public schools7 found this practice had no beneficial effect on BMI status after 2 years of follow-up. The mental health consequences of these factors can be profound and long-lasting.8 For this reason, it is not unusual for students with severe obesity to withdraw from public schools.9 Time for Change After two decades, the desired benefits of BMI screening in schools have not materialized. Since 2003, the prevalence of childhood obesity has continued rising without relief.