WP: Md. Bills Would Put Schools on the Scales: "Fat Grade" Under Review

[DeepModem Mom]

Md. Bills Would Put Schools on the Scales
'Fat Grade' Among Ideas Under Review
By Daniel de Vise
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 19, 2006; Page C01

They've tried to switch off vending machines during the school day and restrict the size of potato chip bags. Now, Maryland lawmakers are seeking a more direct approach to fight obesity among schoolchildren: a weigh-in.

Two bills being studied in the state Senate would require public schools to evaluate students using the body mass index, a formula that estimates body fat based on height and weight. One of the proposals even calls for sending home the results with report cards -- essentially, a fat grade.

An unlikely alliance has formed against the measures. Eating-disorder specialists are allied with snack-food purveyors, as well as physicians and school board members, who contend such bills usurp their authority.

"I don't think it's something that the school should have any business doing," said Anya Lamb, 18, a senior at Severna Park High School in Anne Arundel County. "I know people who developed eating disorders in middle school. The pressure is already there."...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/18/AR2006031801176.html

[rocktivity]

1. Let the students' doctors handle this, not the schools.

This is no different from the schools wanting the kids to take a ten-minute test to determine their mental state and filling them with pills instead of guidance.

:headbang:
rocknation

[saigon68]

7. Public Humiliation "Fatty Fatty 2 by 4 can't get thru the kitchen door"

The new ridicule school chant to thin down amerika

[donsu]

2. way back when I was in public elementary school we were given

health checkups and weighed,etc.

we also had to take recess in elementary, and phys ed. in Jr. High. High school was elective. (I thought that should be mandatory too)

parents, teachers knew the value of recess/phy. ed. to keep kids energy levels at a livable pace.

of course there was no vending machines in the school

nor was there complete isles in the grocery stores for snack food.

[AndyTiedye]

6. "Those Who Can't Teach, Teach Gym"

That sure was the way it was when I grew up.

parents, teachers knew the value of recess/phy. ed. to keep kids energy levels at a livable pace.

I agree completely about the benefits of physical activity.
The trouble with "Phys Ed" is that all it teaches unathletic, poorly-coordinated kids
is that everybody else is much better than they are, and always will be.
What follows from that is generally a strong distaste for physical activity.

The nature of most "phys ed" is to provide the most exercise to those who need it the least.

[LostinVA]

9. Many schools are now teaching weight training, conditioning

Running, etc.... instead of physical and competitive contests. I think that's great.

[donsu]

15. my father thought all phys. ed. teachers were lesbians

he was a republican

he said the only reason girls went to college was to find a husband. he wasn't going to pay for me to find a husband.

he was a republican

and that was way back when

[AndyTiedye]

23. I Don't Think Any of My Gym Teachers Were Lesbians

They were all male, for one thing.

[Mnemosyne]

3. Absolutely disgusting. n/t

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. How about PARENTS taking responsibility for their children's health?

.
.
.

Silly idea I know -

But just don't give them $$ for lunch??

Get off ur lazy butts and make them a healthy lunch - -

I'm starting to appreciate my parents more and more as I'm in my mid-fifties and can outwork most kids in their 20's

AND

Out-think the young buggers that only know how to play games on their computers, and type with 2 fingers, not all 8 and two thumbs like I can

(yeah - I took typing back in the sixties, no letters on the keyboard back then!! - just a pull-down chart on the wall while we were learning)

Although I have my differences with my Mom, I'm starting to realize that a stay at home mom is "gold" in many ways

Should add that I love and respect my dad more than any man in the world, who is still alive, healthy and active at the young age of 94 -

yeah, so if "genetics" has anything to do with it

I'll be around for quite a while yet

[Binka]

14. Oh Great Now I Have Another DU Crush!

Smart and kind men just get to me.:loveya:

[AndyTiedye]

5. BMI Makes No Distinction Between Fat And Muscle

If they blindly use BMI as a "grade", they will be telling some of the fittest students in the school to lose weight, when their body fat may be so low that it would be unhealthy for them to attempt any such thing.

[KurtNYC]

18. BMI is specifically designed to gauge obesity

and is widely criticized for not making the distinction you have cited. It is really nothing more than a fancy way to get around using those insurance company created charts that said things like: If you are 5-10 to 5-11" your ideal weight is 165.

I think what the legislators are trying to address is a disconnect in the mind of parents of obese children. But, in typical beaurocratic fashion, they are likely to alienate people with their flawed, impersonal assessment tool.

[momster]

8. Can we start with the Legislature?

There's a couple dozen or so in Annapolis whom I'm sure would be first in line to get weighed in public -- say, on TV?

[LostinVA]

10. Take out ALL snack machines, don't sell soda in school

Try to have some semi-healthy lunch choices, ands have gym five days a week like I did in NJ in the late 70's and early 80's -- and teach them conditioning, weight training, etc. Teach clean and healthy eating, be encouraging to the kids that need it, stress health, not competition. That will already help, even if they do unhealthy stuff outside of school.

[donco6]

13. Lunch choices.

Did you know we're required to limit fat content in meals to 30% of total calories (averaged over a week)?

We've removed pop from all of our schools - at the student's choice.

We do still offer some ala carte items, but we only sell baked chips, granola-type bars, real fruit smoothies - everything has to have nutritional value (no candy bars, etc.)

If kids are getting fat, it's not because of what they're getting at my schools. However, I do see kids come in with a huge bag of Doritos and a liter of pop for lunch. And that's from home. Then they go home, sit in front of teevee and play video games.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

11. Interesting related article here...

because the reasons for the obesity epidemic are many; and may include things that are not so obvious.

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060121/fob4.asp

Exposure to small amounts of an ingredient in polycarbonate plastic may increase a person's risk of diabetes, according to a new study in mice.

The synthetic chemical called bisphenol-A is used to make dental sealants, sturdy microwavable plastics, linings for metal food-and-beverage containers, baby bottles, and numerous other products. When consumed, the chemical can mimic the effects of estrogen. Previous tests had found that bisphenol-A can leach into food and water and that it's widely prevalent in human blood. <snip>

Repeated exposure to either bisphenol-A or the natural estrogen over several days produced insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic state in which tissues lose their sensitivity to normal concentrations of insulin, Nadal's group says. Estrogen receptors in the pancreatic-cell nucleus appear to contribute to this gradual effect. <snip>

This risk could add to or elucidate already documented health effects of bisphenol-A. Animal studies have suggested that exposure to the chemical early in life causes obesity, says Ana M. Soto of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. <snip>

[KurtNYC]

16. Interesting but it wouldn't explain the rise in diabetes by itself

At its core, type 2 diabetes is simply too much sugar (sucrose/fructose) in the bloodstream for too long. I had a doctor tell me recently that type 2 diabetes is not so much one condition that you either have or don't have, but rather a range of insulin resistance. A range that starts at healthy and goes to extreme resistance. Anyone could, in theory, make themselves a type 2 diabetic. All you need is a resting blood sugar over 140.

I have read the articles about certain genetic predispositions to diabetes (among Native Americans and Asians specifically) but people of any race can become diabetic. The mainstream American diet and large frequent portions are behind the explosion in diabetes IMHO.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. Certainly...

But it may be a factor.

Also, I'll bet the amount of high fructose corn syrup that's consumed has a lot to do with this.

[wickerwoman]

12. Typical "Leave No Child Behind" bullshit.

Just assign a number to the problem and have faith it will go away on it's own. Much easier than spending money to 1.) properly fund schools so they don't have to rely on deals with the soda companies to stay afloat 2.) fund manadatory health and daily PE 3.) provide nutrition / eating disorder counselling for the students who need it and are ready for it.

[rainbow4321]

19. Texas tried to get that bill passed...

last year. It would have put the body fat number on the kids' report card..idiots. Try making the schools drop their contract$ w/ the junk food/soda machines and maybe serving healthier lunches. Like we don't have other frigging priorities to worry about w/ the TX school system. The bill here never passed.

[geniph]

20. Oh good, a new way to humiliate kids

that's always SUCH an effective technique for improving education.

:sarcasm:

[countingbluecars]

21. What to think?

I heard one of the lawmakers (a dem) who is sponsoring the bill on the radio today. He said the bill wouldn't be necessary if we had universal health care. He went on to say it is a way to get information and help to parents who may need it. Is there a way to do this that would not humiliate kids? Sending home the results with report cards is a horrible idea in my opinion.

[musiclawyer]

22. What a dumb idea......

Alienate the parents and kids that the school should be helping out in connection with physical activity and nutrition. What is the name of the charter school in Chicago that dramatically raised test scores ina few years with simple ydaily yoga and fitness routines for the kids, along with providing a nutritious breakfast (I think) ?

Teach the parent and kids how to eat (meaning meal preparation, use of good oils, carbs etc and what to avoid, like HFCS and hydrogenated oil) and require just basic physical activity and you'll solve a large part of the problem.