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Beebe supports changing BMI program Friday, Jan 19, 2007 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Beebe said Thursday he supports changing the law that requires public schools to calculate the body mass index of students. Rep. Keven Anderson, R-Rogers, filed two bills Wednesday dealing with the BMI. House Bill 1173 would repeal the program and HB 1174 would give school districts the option whether to do the test. "I support the concept that there were a lot of problems with the BMI index that cause children to have unintended negative reactions, self-esteem-wise, primarily to being labeled in a certain way," Beebe said Thursday. "There are a whole lot of things schools should be doing, but there are a whole lot of things parents ought to be doing, one of them is trying to make sure kids stay healthy." Anderson said schools should concentrate more on teaching students, rather than using their resources to determine whether the students are overweight. He also said many parents he has talked to oppose the program. The lawmaker also said students who receive their results and learn they are overweight are often stigmatized. The BMI assessment, Act 1220 of 2003, was part of Gov. Mike Huckabee's Health Arkansas Initiative. Beebe told reporters Thursday he had not read Anderson's bills and he wasn't sure which one he would support. The new governor said families should play a more active role in keeping track of the health of their children. After the body mass index test was approved in 2003, it drew criticism from parents who were concerned that their children would be subject to ridicule. The Legislature later changed reporting requirements to try and keep individual results private. Debra Pate, communications specialist with the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, which oversees implementation of the Obesity and School Body Mass Index Initiative, said Thursday that her agency hopes to talk with Anderson before his bills are considered by the House Education Committee. She said Arkansas is the only state that requires the tracking of the BMI of students. Last fall, Huckabee heralded a report which showed a slight drop in the percentage of Arkansas students who were overweight or at risk of being overweight, 37.5 percent during the 2005-2006 school year compared to 38 percent the previous two school years. The data showed a statewide child obesity problem that transcends age, gender, economic status and ethnicity. The report by University of Arkansas Medical Sciences researchers also surveyed teachers, administrators, students and their families to evaluate the effectiveness of Act 1220. That report found that since the law went into effect, many public schools have started prohibiting the use of food as a reward, offering more fruits and vegetables on lunch menus, removing deep fryers and increasing the availability of low-fat and low-sugar beverages and snacks. Jim Raczynski, professor and dean of the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health at UAMS, told lawmakers that researchers would continue for the next two years with $1 million in grant funding to help determine if the body mass index reports and an emphasis on healthy eating are making a difference. Raczynski and Dr. Joe Thompson, the state's chief health officer, could not be reached Thursday and did not immediately return calls seeking comment. |
