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BMI, health initiatives working, officials say Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Results of a study presented to legislators Tuesday showed that a majority of public school students and their parents are comfortable with receiving an annual state-mandated report on the children's weight. The study, conducted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and presented to the House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor, also found that since the law went into effect in 2003 students are eating healthier at school and that the number of reports of students being teased because of a high BMI have dropped. The study results come as lawmakers consider legislation to make the BMI test of students voluntary for school districts or to appeal the law requiring them altogether. "Were seeing changes in the polices within the schools, we're seeing changes in child behavior, they're tending to use vending machines less, they're tending to select more healthy items, all of which ... I think is painting a picture that the law is starting to do what we wanted it to do," Jim Raczynski, professor and dean at the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, told the committee. Raczynski also noted that since the law went to effect, the percentage of overweight students or students at risk of becoming overweight has fallen slightly from 38 percent to 37.5 percent. Act 1220 of 2003 was part of Gov. Mike Huckabee's Healthy Arkansas Initiative. After passage, 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. Along with the BMI measurement of students, Act 1220 also created the Child Health Advisory Committee to develop a variety of school nutrition guidelines. The state Board of Education adopted the guidelines in 2005. Among them are rules prohibiting schools from rewarding students with food, requiring schools to offer healthier lunches and stock vending machines with low-fat and low-sugar snacks and drinks. Tuesday's report was presented less than a week after Rep. Keven Anderson, R-Rogers, filed two bills to amend or repeal the law. House Bill 1173 would repeal the requirement that schools collect the BMI from students annually. HB 1174 would give school districts the option to do the test. Anderson, who plans to present his bills to the House Education Committee on Thursday, said Tuesday that he likes most of Act 1220. "There are some excellent things in that act that are doing some positive things to stem the tide" of childhood obesity, Anderson said. "The only thing in there, in my opinion, that is not providing any real value is the BMI." Anderson did not attend Tuesday's meeting but said he has seen the report. He said he filed his bills after receiving numerous complaints from parents who oppose the program. He said some students who receive their results and learn they are overweight are often stigmatized. Anderson said schools should concentrate more on teaching students, rather than using their resources to determine whether the students are overweight. Tuesday's report showed that 68 percent of parents said they were comfortable receiving the BMI reports on their children. Sixty-four percent said they were aware of the confidentiality safeguards and were not concerned about classmates learning of their child's BMI results. Eighty-five percent of the students surveyed said they were comfortable with the BMI measurement and reporting. The report found that the number of students teased because of their BMI result dropped from 9 percent in 2005 to 6 percent in 2006. The study found that the average number of student purchases from food vending machines declined from 10 per month in 2004 to three per month in 2006. The study also found that while parental awareness of obesity and other health problems in children had increased since Act 1220, parents were not making the necessary changes at home to improve their lifestyles. Martha Phillips, director of the state's Center for Public Health Practice, said told the committee Tuesday that the next challenge will be to change the behaviors away from school and at home. |
