There has been a call to weigh kids in school to tackle obesity. I for one don’t think this is a good idea. I feel that it would point out kids that are already sensitive to their weight and having issues. These kids don’t need the further pressure of this at school.
I understand it is an issue with kids and adults, however just weighing kids and monitoring this is not going to help. Changing your lifestyle and what you eat will have much more of an impact, and I am sure that this will be hand in hand with any programme that is developed.
The choices and what is eaten in the home should be looked at also. Kids rely on their parents to pack a healthy lunch and if the choices are not good, then they eat what is given to them. It is a learnt behavior. Parents need to be tough and say no.
I know it is hard with kids asking for treats and chocolate, but the more you offer the better things like an apple or yoghurt the more the child will know that this is the only options available. Every now and then the girls have a bit of chocolate or a treat, but it is a sometimes food.
In the article about weighing kids in school it mentions that: “They (the researchers) said it appeared that problems could be avoided by taking measurements privately and confidential results.”
Making sure to weigh kids in private is the ideal, as I would hate to think it would be done in public with all other kids to watch. All you need is a bad group to make fun of someone or a group of kids and the whole idea of this would fall flat.
As stated, I don’t like the idea of this and believe it is an issue for the family to look after. Why do the schools need to infer in the child’s weight now? I know they are trying to help but I feel it is intruding and it is something that is best dealt with as a family unit. Would this information of your child be shared to other schools or universities? And let’s not stop there, would the data be kept for this individual, and impact the life of this person due to the findings?
Would you want your work to weigh you? I am sure you would not. Maybe this is the tip of the ice berg and we will see employers weighing their staff in the future? Will it be an insurance issue to make sure that all employees are a certain weight and fitness? Who knows? Send in your comments.
