Should Schools Send 'Fat Letters' Home to Parents? - Santa Cruz ...

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The state of Massachusetts has a unique way to address the epidemic of overweight kids, and the reaction has been mixed.

In 2009, their Department of Public Health adopted a "BMI initiative" requiring public schools to calculate the BMI of children and teens of certain ages.

The results are sent to parents along with instructions for dealing with their child's weight issue. What's received in the mailbox is sometimes referred to as a 'fat letter.'

Is it something we should do in California, when about one-third of our state children are overweight?

Aimee Reedy is the Division Director of Programs for the?Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

"We use much more comprehensive strategies to address the issue so it becomes part of the child's life," says Reedy. Referring to the Massachusetts idea: "As a standalone, I would question the behavior result."?

According to the Massachusetts?Department of Public Health Web site:

"Overweight and obesity have become a serious health problem in Massachusetts. Almost one-third of school-aged children are either overweight or obese. Overweight and obese children are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. Helping children maintain a healthy weight can prevent potential health problems and serious diseases."

Parents back East have complained,?saying the letters amount to government interference in parenting and an invasion of privacy.

And in January, Massachusetts State Rep. Jim Lyons filed legislation to stop the 'fat letters.'

In California, the Department of Public Health coordinates the?California Obesity Prevention Program, last updated in 2010, a "call to action for stakeholders from all the identified sectors?including schools?to work together to improve the health of all Californians.

There is also the California Department of Education's?Team California for Healthy Kids.?When asked if the CDE would ever work directly with schools to do what Massachusetts is doing, spokeswoman Tina Jung replied "There's just a lot in this initiative for everyone."

Santa Clara County's Reedy points out that parents receive student BMI scores as part of the fitness testing done every year for 5th, 7th, and 9th-grade California students. She believes the California model creates "solutions to change behavior," which is the best way to combat obesity.

Reedy cites statistics that indicate obesity rates are leveling off. She admits "We do have a long way to go."

It is an immediate concern. According to a brief issued by Santa Clara County, the estimated total annual cost associated with overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity among adults was $2.1 billion in?2006.

What do you think? Should California be as direct with parents as Massachusetts is in addressing adolescent obesity? Are letters like these an invasion of privacy, and something best left to parents and pediatricians, but not government? Or are the healthcare costs of obesity on all of society enough to outweigh privacy concerns, and something government should be addressing? Is the comprehensive approach Santa Clara county uses the best one?

Tell us in your comments. Then vote in our poll.

Patch Local Editor Bryan McGonigle contributed to this report.

Source: http://santacruz.patch.com/articles/should-schools-send-fat-letters-home-to-parents

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