Senate weighs in on students' health
Mon, Mar 10, 2008
By CAROLINA MURILLOThe Brunswick NewsHeather McDuffie doesn't mind having her weight and height measured at school. For the 14-year-old student, posting the results online is not a big deal either."I think it would help students become aware of their health and make changes like improving their diet," she said. "It will be specially helpful for little kids."That's the way Georgia lawmakers see it. Last week, the state Senate passed bill 506, which calls for testing each student's body-mass index – BMI – twice a year, in the fall and spring. The body mass-index is a combined measure of height and weight. A higher-than-normal score could indicate a child is at risk for obesity.Sponsored by Sen. Joseph Carter, R-Tifton, the bill would work much like tests scores, with schools reporting their data so parents can check out how they measure up to other schools. The scores of all the students at each school would also be combined into average score, which must be posted on the school's Web site. The Georgia Board of Education would compile all the data in order to gauge the health status of each school system in the state.Schools with high aggregated BMIs may be asked to take certain measures such as increasing the amount of physical education provided students. The bill still needs to pass in the state House in order to become law.June Paul, lead nurse for the Glynn County school system, is not surprised by the measure. She says she saw the writing on the wall. Schools were required to promote health enhancing behaviors as a result of the Federal Wellness and State Nutritional policy that became effective July 2006. Schools are following the guidelines. They're offering more fruits and vegetables on lunch menus. They also have removed deep fryers and increased low-fat and low-sugar drinks and snacks.To Paul, the Senate bill would not be a major inconvenience."It wouldn't be a drastic change," she said. "Some schools are already tracking student weight as part of the wellness program." One such school is Risley Middle. Pat Music, school nurse, conducted a body mass index and blood pressure testing at the beginning of the school year with help from physical education coaches. Each of the 210 students enrolled in physical education classes was weighed and measured. A second test will be done at the end of the second nine-week period."Childhood obesity has become a public health threat that needs to be taken seriously," said Music.In Georgia, being overweight among young children between the ages of 2- and 5-years-old has increased 60 percent over the past decade.The Georgia Student Health Survey indicated that one in three middle school students aged 11-14 is at increased risk of being overweight.Levon Grant, physical education teacher at Risley Middle, says he sees more overweight students now than he did 10 years ago, and even more so in boys."Kids don't exercise or practice sports," he said. "They think it's not cool. All they want to do is stay inside and play video games."To engage his students to exercise, Grant makes sure they get 45 minutes of rigorous physical activity. This may include running 25 laps around the school gym or five laps around the track. "With the second fitness testing next week, we hope to see improvements," he said.
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