Childhood Obesity Reporting
New York State students in selected grades will undergo mandatory body mass index (BMI) screening starting in fall 2008, as part of a statewide effort to track and address childhood obesity.
Legislation passed in 2007 requires public schools outside New York City to collect and report on students’ weight and BMI information. Physicians test students as they come in for required health certificates to be passed on to schools and the New York State Department of Health, unless parents choose to exclude their children from the process. New York State will join 12 other states currently performing some form of BMI testing on schoolchildren.
Please click here to learn more about the policy.