BMI Added to School Health Screenings

Kentucky education officials are adding a requirement to school health screenings to combat growing childhood obesity problems. The Board of Education recently approved a proposal requiring schools to record a child's body mass index, the relation of body fat to height and weight. Pediatricians say early intervention can prevent life-threatening adult conditions like Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. The proposal also eliminates a decades-long practice of checking middle-school students for signs of the spine condition scoliosis. Department of Education spokeswoman Lisa Gross says school administrators have indicated there are more critical issues school nurses can address.