When I was in elementary school, we were all weighed quarterly throughout the school year. I remember they would set up the scales in the hallway, and we would line up against the wall to wait our turn. To some, being weighed wasn’t a big deal. To me it most definitely was a big deal because I was a big kid. I remember getting into a squabble in fourth grade while waiting for the quarterly humiliation. The topic? Whether I was the fattest girl in the class or if another girl took the title.
So recently I was thinking, thank goodness they don’t do that to children anymore. Then I saw an article that informed me that some schools do indeed still have weigh-ins. Once I started to dig around, I found many articles debating the merits of this practice. Here is a quick summary of the pros and cons:
- Obesity is a health issue and should be monitored
- Obesity can lead to a variety of other health problems and weigh-ins will alert parents to these potential issues.
- The data can be used to locate trends and possible environmental issues linked to obesity.
- Weigh-ins can cause students to become obsessed with their weight, jump starting eating disorders.
- It’s embarrassing to be singled out for your weight.
- The emphasis should be on healthy habits and not on weight.
I’m sure you can guess how I feel about school weigh-ins. What are your thoughts?
If they are done, they should be done privately.
I agree with Darcie Kvasnicka. If the child chooses to share the information with other students that is his/her choose. I can see that weigh ins private or not can have advantages and disadvantages.
My grandchildren have weigh ins for their sports and must retain a certain weight to be able to participate. However I think any other weight in shoild be done privately maybe in the nurses office.
Privately.
Even weight watchers weighs you behind a screen so the info is between you, the other person, and God! How horrible for it to be public! Kids can be cruel. period.
Privately, most definitely! I was one of those “chubby” little girls and would rather have climbed under a rock than let others know my weight.
I, too, had to periodically step on the scales at school in front of everyone. It still haunts me. Although I see the value in it, I think it should be, and hopefully is, done more privately.