Everyday we hear, read or see material about the obesity “epidemic” in this country. Legislation has been passed in some states banning trans fats in restaurants and/or soda in school vending machines in an effort to address obesity and weight related health problems.
In June 2007 the Massachusetts General Law was revised mandating that schools conduct annual height and weight measurements on all students and that the results be recorded in each student’s Health Record. The Wellesley Public Schools will continue to comply with this regulation in the same manner as we conduct annual hearing and vision and postural screenings.
The purpose of the Annual Height and Weight program is to give parents/guardians information about their child’s growth pattern. The nurses, Health and Fitness staff and/or trained volunteers conduct the screenings in a non-invasive, confidential manner with sensitivity to students’ need for privacy.
After a child’s height and weight is measured, his/her BMI (Body Mass Index) is calculated by considering the child’s age, height and weight. This is a useful tool in identifying children and youth who are potentially at risk for weight related problems.
BMI is simply a screening tool. Many factors including family history, daily activity and food choices influence a child’s growth pattern.
The WPS nurses follow the guidelines provided by the MDPH to determine BMI findings and will notify parents in writing of students whose screening results indicate they are at risk, as is the practice with the hearing, vision, and postural screenings. If you receive a letter stating that your child is either at risk for or is overweight or underweight, you should not consider this as the final measure in assessing your child’s growth but as a signal that this finding is something to discuss with his/her Primary Care Provider.
As a family and a school community there are many factors to consider when trying to promote a healthy lifestyle. Some of these include learning how to make healthy food choices at meal and snack times, being mindful of portion size, limiting TV time not only because it decreases activity time but it also exposes us to food products and fast food advertisements, and scheduling activity time on a daily basis. The Wellesley Public Schools believe in modeling healthy behaviors in the school setting and have adopted a Wellness Policy that addresses our food services menu, vending machines and opportunities for physical activity on a regular basis during the school day.
Listed below are a few of the many useful resources available regarding health and wellness:
-My Pyramid at http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html
-60: Play Every Day, Any Way at http://www.cdc.gov/youthcampaign/marketing/adults/Time_for_Kids_Family.txt