Could Americans’ sensitivity be getting in the way of their children’s health? It seems this may be the case, as some parents are becoming outraged by the so-called “fat letters” they are receiving from school dieticians regarding the weight and overall health of their children.
As many as 21 states in the country, Florida included, have hired dieticians in elementary schools to evaluate students’ health; nine states even send letters to the parents if the child is deemed at risk for life-altering health risks such as vision issues, hearing issues and scoliosis, according to USA Today.
The letters are addressed to the parents or guardians and sent home with the student in a sealed envelope, but parents are supposedly concerned that their children are opening them prematurely and seeing that they are being called overweight, according to Today.
This health evaluation process should be tweaked so the results are truly confidential between the school and the parents, for example, by sending the letter to a personal email account. “It would have been a softer approach to send the letters out to all parents regardless of the students’ body mass index (BMI),” said Katie White, Assistant Director of Campus Recreation and Wellness at UT. “A general educational message may have made less people feel like they were being targeted” Parents have expressed concern that it will lower children’s self esteem knowing they are bringing home “fat letters” and worry that it could promote unhealthy methods of losing weight, according to U.S. News.
Dr. Michael Flaherty at Tufts School of Medicine published in the journal Pediatrics that “there is little evidence they cause eating disorders or unhealthy eating habits or an increase in peer bullying,” reports Today. Parents and schools need to work together to be vigilant of students’ physical health all while protecting their psychological health because fitness practices in childhood and adolescence will affect the rest of their lives.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight in 2010. They define being overweight as “having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water or a combination of these factors,” and they define obesity as “having excess body fat.”
The CDC says there are many immediate health concerns in obese children such as high risk factors for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, poor self esteem and social and psychological problems. The CDC also says being overweight and obese increases the risk of cancer in adulthood. All these things can be easily prevented with healthier eating and more exercise. Parents getting angry at the schools making an effort to ensure the health of the children doesn’t make any sense to me.
Students often spend a significant portion of their days at school. When the children are on school property, school administrators are responsible for them, and that includes their health. Parents trust schools with their children for many hours of the day and most days of the week, so it isn’t fair for the parents to get upset when the schools send home letters respectfully informing them their children might be overweight. Shouldn’t parents be glad they send their kids to schools that actually take interest in their children’s health? Aren’t teachers suppose to care about what goes on in the students’ home lives, especially if they see warning signs of insufficient care such as unhealthy eating and exercise habits?
Parents are concerned that if their children open the letters, it may hurt their self esteem. My problem with this argument is the discipline of the children. Kids should learn not to open their parents’ mail, especially since it is a federal offense. But the schools are partially at fault too. They should either send the letters through the U.S. postal service and not put them in the hands of the students, or they should notify the parents directly through email.
The evaluations have good intentions, but some parents are also concerned about the credibility of the tests since they go by BMI, which is notoriously inaccurate when looked at on an individual level as opposed to a whole population, according to Yahoo Shine. “There are many better indicators, but BMI still offers that general indication of health,” White said.
Dr. Dyan Hes, founder of Gramercy Pediatrics in New York City and also a member of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, told Yahoo Shine, “[BMI] is a screening tool, that schools don’t have the money to do MRIs on each student to calculate their actual body fat… the letters aren’t meant for children’s eyes but for parent’s.”
USA Today reports that the letters have been given the nickname “Fat Letters” so when kids receive one, they assume they are being called overweight. The schools in some states have resolved this issue by sending letters to parents of every child whether they are in good health or not. If all states did this it would eliminate the letters’ stigma and provide anonymity, preventing possible bullying. Students should learn about healthy life habits both at home and at school.
Lynn Grefe, president and CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association, said, “If we would all focus on the word ‘health,’ rather than weight and size, we would see better outcomes,” according to U.S. News. I completely agree with Grefe. As soon as people hear the word “weight” they tense up and tune out. But this habit needs to be broken.
Parents are concerned these evaluations will drive their children to develop eating disorders, according to Today. Guess what, parents? The way to break the negative stigma around weight is to educate them on the truth, not blame the schools and their tactics for trying to help. Children and their parents need to be taught the difference between being healthy and being skinny, because they are certainly not synonyms.
I don’t have a problem with these health evaluations beginning in elementary school, because it’s better that the children learn healthy diet and exercise practices early on. Another positive side effect of starting early is that it will help kids continue to be healthy for the rest of their lives. Not to mention, exercise increases the release of endorphins, which leads to better moods.
Also, healthy eating during childhood and adolescence is crucial for proper growth and development, according to the CDC. “An overweight student might be lethargic and sleepy, less attentive in the classroom, miss class more often due to weight related illness and a decrease in immune system function, and might suffer from bullying and mental health issues because of it,” White said. Exercise will help children in many ways whether it be through their weight, mental health or social skills.
This is a very sensitive topic, and schools can improve the process of evaluations. Unhealthy practices need to be faced head on. I applaud schools for taking the initiative and addressing obesity problems with parents directly, because schools and parents need to be partners in the war on obesity, not enemies.
Avery Twible can be reached at avery.twible@spartans.ut.edu