From Your Health Journal…..”In some areas of Australia, they are considering placing a child’s weight on their report cards. There will be two sides to this. One side will say, no big deal. The weight will be private, and only seen by school staff, parents, and the specific child. Most kids won’t even look twice at it. Then the other side will say, this is horrible, as some children already have low self esteem. Placing their weight on the report card will not help them lose weight, only embarrass them. So, what are your thoughts? Is it necessary to do this? Would it be better if the school nurse met with parents of children who may be overweight? In some schools in the US, children’s BMI (Body Mass Index) which takes height and weight measurements to see if a child’s weight falls within a healthy range is placed on report cards. This procedure has gotten mixed reviews, so there will be curiosity as to how this will play out in Australia. What are your thoughts?”

From the article…..

It may sound absurd, but how would it look seeing weight of a child on their school report? This is what has been suggested by none other than the man who led Australia’s successful response to the AIDS epidemic, David Penington, while chalking out plans against the obesity crisis.

While talking in an obesity summit in Canberra this week, the former vice-chancellor of Melbourne University and dean of medicine said that by taking this move, discussions would be spurned between parents and teachers about what all should be done to maintain a healthy weight.

“It’s not that I want the schools to be seen as the body responsible but, nonetheless, use the school environment as a way to contribute to ensuring the broader issues are there for discussion”, he said while asserting that there are times when obesity starts from early childhood and it needs to be tackled there only.

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