Shine OnAre ‘fat letters’ good or bad for kids and their families?
They are being called “fat letters” and have been featured on late night comedy shows and in media reports in the United States. The letters are being sent by U.S. school authorities to parents of overweight or obese children after their child has been assessed and determined to have a body mass index (BMI) above average.
Critics say "fat letters" increase bullying and shame kids for their body weight rather than provide parents with concrete tools to combat obesity. But proponents say they have spawned positive change in Arkansas, the first state that implemented them back in 2003. The percentage of Grade 8 and 10 Arkansas children who are obese has dropped incrementally, from 22.6 per cent in 2004 to 21.6 per cent in 2010, reports the Globe and Mail.
“It is a bitter pill. It’s difficult for us as pediatricians to tell a parent their child is overweight or obese," Dr. Michael R. Flaherty tells the Toronto Star. "But these letters were intended to be a confidential tool, another reminder to find professional help. Maybe we need to seek out a dietician, work on diet, work on exercise.”
Also see: How being overweight affects you chances of getting into grad school
Dr. Flaherty is the author of a paper published Tuesday by the American Academy of Pediatrics that argues the practice of sending "fat letters," which has been on-going in the U.S. for over a decade, has led to positive lifestyle changes for many of the children identified as obese.
Yet the letters are so controversial that Massachusetts has proposed legislation to ban BMI testing in schools.
“[Some] feel like it leads to kids being teased and embarrassed, and places an unfair burden on school districts to conduct the screenings,” says Seth Blomley, the communications director of the Arkansas Education Department, about the objections in her own state.
In Canada, we have a much softer approach. Toronto is the only city about to conduct BMI testing in schools next year, though participation is voluntary and students only find out their BMI if they ask. Toronto Public Health will will look at 12,000 students from Grade 7 to Grade 12 at 160 schools across the city.
Also see: School obesity-prevention programs may actually trigger eating disorders
BMI testing at schools has also been conducted in Malaysia and the United Kingdom.
Thirty per cent of Canadian children are overweight or obese, a marginal difference from the U.S., where that number is 32 per cent.
“Obesity is the new bullying. Schools feel they have to do something. They’ll do something, and it will probably be very expensive and bureaucratic and I think the impact will also be very minimal,” says Patrick Luciani, co-author of XXL: Obesity and the Limits of Shame.
What are your thoughts on how "fat letters" are being used in the United States? Should Canada be more proactive and implement them here?
