Some experts believe that this is a good idea because it can prevent children from future health problems such as heart failure and joint problems . Which is a good point, it could potentially save the life of a kid we can say because it will give that parents a reality check. once parents receive this letter they can be more aware of what kinds of foods they decide to buy. Also, they can encourage their kids to be more active and to spend as little time as possible on video games or whatever it may be.
Another positive thing about informing a parent would be that the school and the parent could work together to help the child out. Once the parent gets the reality check that was needed , they could go talk to a dietitian and they can work together to change the eating habits of not only the child , but the entire family which could prevent future health issues as mentioned earlier.
Other expert argue that these letter can potentially cause a child , most likely a girl, to become more self conscious and develop a eating disorder which eventually could be fatal ; also a good point. the point of these letters would be to help a child get healthy , but if the results are negative the child would end up hurting themselves by developing a eating disorder. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness ( South Carolina Department of Mental Health ) .
Another point that was mentioned was bulling. These letters could result in a child being bullied and that could also be tragic. Kids can find out which parents were sent these "fat letters" and then the kids would be easy targets for bullying. " The statistics on bullying are upsetting. In a recent national survey of overweight sixth graders, 24 percent of the boys and 30 percent of the girls experienced daily teasing, bullying or rejection because of their size. The number doubles for overweight high school students with 58 percent of boys and 63 percent of girls experiencing daily teasing, bullying or rejection because of their size." ( By JoAnn Stevelos, MS, MPH) .
Now that I've written this my opinions have changed . Yes, parents show be aware of their child's health and whether they are obese or not. but truth be told , a lot of parents need that reality check. A lot of parents do need to be informed , but should it be the school to do it ? I don't think so. I believe that that is a discussion for parents and the child to have with their pediatrician , after all they do get paid to look after the child health. Once that discussion has taken place , the rest is up to the parents and the child.
- http://children.webmd.com/news/20130821/fat-letters-take-the-stage-in-childhood-obesity-debate
- http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/resource-articles-2/childhood-obesity-resource-articles/bullying-bullycide-and-childhood-obesity
- http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/08/19/report-fat-letters-necessary-to-fight-childhood-obesity
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