Weight To Be Included On Report Cards?, page 1

New York Assemblyman Felix Ortiz wants to include students weight on report cards. The proposal comes as a response to the increasing amount of adolescent obesity. The inclusion of BMI, or body-mass index, would be a reference for parents by which to compare their children with other students.

www.nynewsday.com
ALBANY -- Kids' report cards could include reading, writing and weigh-ins, if a state lawmaker gets his way.

A bill being introduced by Assemblyman Felix Ortiz would require schools to annually provide parents information on their child's weight along with their grades. The brief health reports, which could also be sent alongside report cards, would show where kids stand relative to others on the body-mass index, or BMI, a height-to-weight ratio used to define underweight, overweight or obese children.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Nothing is said as to what would/could be done once parents had this information. I assume this would just increase awareness and perpetuate "fad-diets." In an increasingly image-conscious nation, this is a weak effort as parents won't necassarily have an answer. I think an effort to focus on increased activity would help considerabely, but even that is unlikely in an urban environment built around physically static activity, i.e. television, video games, etc.

Related News Links:
www.firstcoastnews.com

[edit on 29-3-2005 by Spectre]