At Risk for Being Overweight

[RUDisney]

Got a letter from the school nurse yesterday. Seems that they weighed and measured all of the students in 4th grade last week. The letter was to caution me that my DS was borderline to being overweight. He is 58.5 inches and 101 pounds.... of solid muscle. Really, during the summer you can see this kids' 6 packs. He'll be 11 next month.

The letter said his BMI was 88.5%.

I feel like taking him into her office and asking her to look at him and tell me where it is that he may be overweight.

If I told him what the letter said, he'd be panic-stricken. No wonder so many kids develop eating disorders... even the school nurses look at lean and physically fit as overweight.

 

[Disneyrsh]

Well, if you really want to know, post a picture of him.

Or you can have a submersion index done, where they can totally accurately measure his muscle/fat ratio. Then you can show it to the nurse, who, unfortunately, probably doesn't really care, anyway...

 

[RUDisney]

I've already been in a bunch of peeing contests with this nurse. She really is an idiot. (I know her personally, so I can judge this. )

I sent a note last week that told her that I was not offering my consent for my DD to have her teeth checked in school. We go to a dentist and we don't need the school to evaluate her. (We've already spent a ton on her mouth with more and more to be spent in the future.) All the school does is send home a harshly written note advising you to wake up and take care of your kid's teeth. That makes me angrier than you can imagine. She sent me a note that said that it's in the school's handbook that she must be evaluated by them. I sent her another note that if they touched my DD, I'd sue the district. Haven't had a response to that one. I don't understand why she would feel the need to argue with me since I sent her proof of her last dental visit from December.

 

[BelleMcNally]

If your son is really muscular, then a simple hieght-weight ratio wouldn't accurately measure his BMI. I'm sure it's a standard thing the nurse does and that anyone who falls outside of "such and such" numbers gets such a letter sent home...there are probably too many students for her to reasonably evaluate them all and so it's just a "numbers game" kinda thing.

I remember having to do height and weight evaluations in grade school. I was very athletic and solid muscle and was also told that I was severly overweight...in front of the entire class...to this day I remember how ashamed I was...

 

[golfgal]

Well, that is about 20 pounds heavier then my DD who is the same height and age. She is pretty solidly built, I can't imagine another 20+ pounds on her though. Here are my kids who are 80lbs, 60lbs and 80lbs from and all about 58"tall.

 

[maleficent1959]

My friend is a schol nurse, and she HATES when they have to send those letters. It's a district requirement that she has to comply with, and all they go on is weight and height. She has a chart, again, from the district, that suposedly "calculates" the BMI. It doesn't matter if she thinks the child looks perfectly fine she's required to do this for every child in her school. Then when parents are understandably upset she's the one to take the heat, not the folks who designed the chart or determined that this is something the school should be doing in the first place. She'd be the first to say do what is right for your child and your family.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

The letter said his BMI was 88.5%.

I thought BMI's were number like 23 or 28, but I could be wrong.

I do not think the school has a place even testing this. The nurse is probably just doing her jo that some higher up told her she had to do. I would look into why the test is even being done and fight it there.

If your son is healthy, you feed him and take him to the pediatrician and he is active, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[CEDmom]

I don't know about the issue with the dental visit but with regard to the height/weight she's most likely following state guidelines. If your doctor isn't concerned about your DS's weight then I wouldn't worry about it. As far as eating disorders I see tons more kids headed for obesity then for anorexia. It's a problem in this country and it needs to be dealt with. Home is the 1st place to start.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I sent a note last week that told her that I was not offering my consent for my DD to have her teeth checked in school. We go to a dentist and we don't need the school to evaluate her.

When DS was in kindergarten, he came home with a note telling us he couldn't see and he would be reevaluated in 6 weeks. DH is an optometrist. DS has worn glasses since he was 2. I sent a note and told them I thought they could better use their time elsewhere.

 

[NCRedding]

The chart or table they are using is incorrect. Your son's BMI is about 21.9%.

 

[mommaU4]

The only people who should be concerned with this matter are you, your son and his pediatrician. IF all of you are in agreement that he is healthy then don't be worried about any other comments including those from the school nurse.

 

[Longsx3]

DD is also 9, she is 54.5" and 54lbs..maybe by the time she graduates she will hit 100.

For the OP, As others have said the nurse is most likely going by a height weight chart. While it sounds like your son is in great shape, the little boy in line after him may be 58" 101LBS and eating a box of ding dongs everyday. I think the Nurse was doing her job and you can evaluate the note she home in realtionship to your son.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

If your son is healthy, you feed him and take him to the pediatrician and he is active, I wouldn't worry about it.

I agree that it is probably a state mandate that the school nurse sends out those letters. Don't worry about it. Now the teeth thing?? Just odd, I've never heard of that before.

My doctor has that chart in his office. He pointed out to me that according to that charge I am overweight. He then told me that is is cr*p and that I am not overweight. It doesn't take into effect your body type or how muscular (or unmuscular) you are.

 

[Skatermom23]

I guess they need to do that. My DD is a figure skater and has developed a lot of muscle on her. They did a weight thing at school where they figure out body fat and she came out higher than some of her pencil like friends. She was pretty upset about it. We had a long talk about body image and how she will never have a pencil figure and how skating has given her a lot of muscle which weighs more than fat. It made her feel better to have someone to discuss this with and I thank God that she was comfortable enough to ask me about it. It does upset me, that even for a minute, they made her feel like she wasn't healthy. This child could run circles around anyone in her entire school and is more physical fit than about 98% of her classmates.

 

[MAKmom]

I think this is something new in PA this year. They have to report overwieght & underweight children.

The Dental check-up is done in 4th grade. We are supposed to have our own doctor do the check-up & fill out the form. If you did not do this then they have a school dentist do it.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

yes, 88.5% as a BMI makes no sense. I wonder if it is a Growth Percentile?
They really just need to make annual physicals a requirement rather than K, 5th, and 9th grades and let the kid's Doctors diagnose whether or not there is a problem.

 

[Beth76]

I feel like taking him into her office and asking her to look at him and tell me where it is that he may be overweight.

Really, I would just let it go. I'm sure the chart that she has does not take into account muscle mass. My son is thin, yet heavy since he's all muscle. As muscle weighs more than fat.

Like others have said, I'm sure it's just some standard thing that the nurse has to do. Hopefully, it will help some children who really do have a problem. As long as you and your doctor are in agreement I honestly wouldn't give it a second thought.

ETA: I also agree that 88% is not a valid BMI. That's got to be something else.

 

[RUDisney]

Well, that is about 20 pounds heavier then my DD who is the same height and age. She is pretty solidly built, I can't imagine another 20+ pounds on her though. Here are my kids who are 80lbs, 60lbs and 80lbs from and all about 58"tall.

My DS has broader shoulders and more muscle overall in his chest. I guess that iis where his 20 extra pounds are. He plays basketball and football and when they are out of season, he lifts weights and rides his bike constantly. He doesn't sit still.

DH told me the same thing about BMI... muscle weighs more than fat and the calculation doesn't take that into account.

 

[LynnTH]

As the other posters stated, I would take it with a grain of salt. When my son had his Pre-School screening before Kindergarten they basically told me the same thing. I couldn't beleive it. I was like - "are you looking at him". He is almost 7 and can still wear size 4's (except they are too short). He has never even been close to being overweight. They weighed him with his jeans and boots on and at that age the difference between average and borderline overweight was a pound or two. It was ridiculous. They just used their little charts. I asked my Doctor about it and just laughed he said they did the same thing to his wife and daughter and she let them have it. So, basically (after all my ranting) your Doctor is the only one I would listen to.

 

[golfgal]

Just a side note, at 10/11 year old should NOT be lifting weights!

http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2003/0903/benjamin.htm