Study: Ark. body tests don't add overweight taunts
LITTLE ROCK (AP) Overweight children in Arkansas have not faced more teasing since the state became the first to require students to undergo body mass index tests, a new study shows.
The study, by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, comes after state lawmakers and the governor loosened the standards last year over self-esteem and teasing concerns. However, obesity remains a major health concern in a Southern state fond of barbecue and fried chicken one out of every five Arkansas school children is overweight.
A survey of 1,500 students' homes began just before the 2003 law pushed for by former governor and Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee took effect. The law required public school students in every grade to receive body mass index tests, a score reached by using a person's height and weight. Parents would receive a report noting whether their child was underweight, healthy, at risk of becoming overweight or overweight.
Researchers followed the initial calls to 1,500 homes by calling a random sampling of about 2,500 students' homes for two years after schools began taking the measurements. Parents of children under 14 answered all the researchers' questions, while older students answered half of the survey's questions, said Rebecca Krukowski, the clinical psychologist at UAMS who wrote the final report.
The study found that 14 percent of parents said their children had been teased a percentage that did not significantly change in the years after the tests became standard practice. In general, girls remained more vulnerable to weight teasing, though obese boys and girls faced the same likelihood of being teased, Krukowski said.
The survey also found older children more likely would face taunts often not just limited to their weight.
"The teasing might be part of this large constellation of teasing toward that particular child," Krukowski said. "Weight-based teasing has been associated with really negative consequences, like depression and suicidality and eating issues and things like that."
The study, published in the October edition of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, goes against complaints by lawmakers in 2007. Legislators led by Rep. Keven Anderson, R-Rogers, relaxed the standards, now requiring only students undergo the tests in kindergarten and even-numbered years, with high school juniors and seniors exempt. Gov. Mike Beebe, who came into the governor's mansion after Huckabee, said the test carried "a lot of negative, unintended consequences" and hurt some children's self-esteem.
Krukowski said she hoped the Legislature would consider the survey results during its coming session next year.
"The weight-based teasing rates didn't increase, they didn't change at all," she said. "This definitely does give some evidence that doesn't need to be a concern."
Anderson said Tuesday that he could not comment on the report without seeing it. However, he said many constituents told him about their children having the measurements done in view of classmates and other problems.
Anderson, who initially sought to repeal the testing entirely, said state education officials promised to address those concerns. Anderson, who is term limited, said changing the law would probably not be on his agenda if he were coming back.
"I really don't think enough time has gone by to assess the value of what we did," he said.
Matt DeCample, a spokesman for Beebe, said the governor stood by his decision to support reducing the tests, since results remained statistically valid and it relieved some of the burden on schools.
"It's encouraging to hear it's not adding any additional psychological impact on the kids," DeCample said.
When Arkansas adopted the BMI testing program, the state ranked third in the nation in obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 13 other states have begun some BMI testing program in schools.
However, since the law was implemented, statistics on the tests from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement show the state's rates have remained roughly the same. During the 2007-2008 school year, the state survey found 60.2 percent of school children tested were healthy, 17.4 percent were at risk of becoming overweight and 20.5 percent were overweight.
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University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences: http://www.uams.edu