Apr 8, 2009 2:55 pm US/Eastern
Public Schools Will Screen Kids' Body Mass Index
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Health officials have approved new statewide regulations that will require public schools to regularly perform Body Mass Index (BMI) screenings on all students and report their findings to parents.
The Massachusetts Public Health Council unanimously passed the new regulations on Wednesday. The BMI screenings are part of the Mass. In Motion anti-obesity initiative announced earlier this year by the Patrick Administration.
The council said the BMI screenings were approved to help promote healthier eating and exercise habits for children. They hope sending the information home will help keep parents informed about their child's health.
The new regulations will be phased in over the next 18 months. During that time, the Department of Public Health will be working with school nurses and administration on training and implementation efforts.
The screenings will be done on first, fourth, seventh and tenth graders statewide.
"We are committed to fighting obesity and promoting healthy weights for Massachusetts residents on multiple levels," said Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach. "We know that children are greatly impacted by the obesity epidemic, and these new BMI regulations are designed to provide more information for parents to help lessen that impact."
In addition to a BMI report, parents will also receive helpful tips on how to make their child healthier and more active.
The information will also be shared with the Department of Public Health, officials said.
According to the Massachusetts Public Health Council, more than one-third of all middle school and high school students in the state are considered either overweight or obese.
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