Report cards a weighty issue

In case humiliation in gym class isn't enough of an incentive for overweight kids to lose weight, the Texas legislature added another reason not to be fat: Your body mass index will be on your report card. According to the National Institutes of Health Web site, BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.\nTexas state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) said she believes schools should be as concerned about students' physical health as they are about academic performance. Including BMI on report cards is supposed to alert parents of their children's unhealthy weight. Whether the restyled report cards will be able to fight the inertia of a fast-food society is suspect.\nVending machines filled with sugary and fatty processed treats expand kids' waistlines and the school districts' bottom line.\nPlenty of educators teach their classes about the food pyramid, which the federal government is revamping, and then pass out candy for good behavior or for the A's earned on the latest spelling test.\nAlthough many parents need a nudge to notice their children's obesity, sending a student home with his or her BMI on the report card will hardly help parents make necessary changes in their child's lifestyle. A report card won't help a frazzled mom buy fresh fruits and veggies or implement an exercise program for her child.\nSchools have failed to take a serious stand on students' health. Reporting too-high BMIs to parents seems ridiculous, given that schools are where students consume 40 percent of their calories. \nMaryland's board of education will vote soon on new guidelines for snacks and a la carte lunch items sold in schools, and each district will have to develop a nutrition policy. These steps constitute the beginning of a real solution to America's childhood obesity problem.\nIt's hypocritical for schools to single out overweight children on report cards and maintain fattening environments. If it is a school's place to concern itself with a student's health, then the school must also accept responsibility to help students be healthier. For a start, the schools can cook more nutritious lunches, stock vending machines with fruit instead of potato chips and reward kids with extra recess time instead of extra snack time.\nThe BMI report card bill certainly will make politicians in Austin, Texas, feel good, but it won't help teachers, parents or students control childhood obesity. And controlling obesity is crucial for a healthy national future.\nOverweight kids and their parents have more to worry about than being teased on the playground by peers. The National Institute of Health notes that overweight teens have a 70 percent likelihood of being an overweight adult. Obesity causes heart problems, diabetes, high cholesterol and an assortment of other ailments that have huge human and monetary costs. It's in everyone's best interests for the next generation to be fit and healthy and to help every kid be their healthiest.\nGood nutrition correlates with academic performance. But putting BMIs on report cards won't guarantee health or good academic performance without a follow-up of good nutrition policy from the schools.