The Blue Field Telegraph – JENNIFER PELTZ
“When New York City public schools began giving students report cards on their weight a decade ago, officials hoped the information would help fight an obesity epidemic in the nation’s largest school system. But a new study finds being labeled fat doesn’t spur weight loss, at least among students near the threshold for being flagged. The study, released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, adds to the debate over the effects of student body-mass index reports now issued in many schools nationwide. “It’s not enough just to get the information out there,” said one of the authors, Syracuse University education and economics professor Amy Ellen Schwartz. “You have to get it to people in a way that’s actionable.” After weighing and measuring its 1.1 million students, the school system gave each reports including a BMI number, weight percentile and, until last year, a designation: “underweight,” “healthy weight,” “overweight” or “obese.” Those outside “healthy weight” were advised to consult a health professional.”(more)