Member Article

Researchers concern over weight screening in schools

The Government’s recently announced initiative to screen the weight of four and ten year olds in schools could be psychologically harmful to children and even result in some developing eating disorders, warn researchers from Loughborough University. Supporters of the initiative say the tests, which will measure the children’s Body Mass Index (BMI), will help to increase parental awareness of obesity. However, opponents claim the initiative could lead to overweight children being misinformed about the state of their health and, even worse, being bullied. The Loughborough team said their research reveals that many eating disorder sufferers strongly believe their illness was exacerbated by the well-meaning actions of teachers and health experts in schools. Researcher Dr Emma Rich explained: “Our research indicated that schools are increasingly pressing children to monitor their own diets, body shapes and levels of physical activity, which can unintentionally cause children to become anxious about their appearance, their weight and the food they’re eating, when they have no need to be.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .