picture of 4 yr old of what the school calls "Obese"

DebbieLyn63

I think they will have measured her height, but I think there is some confusion. Obesity for children is measured differently than for adults. Adults count as obese if their BMI is 30 or over. That doesn't work well for children because they go through different growth stages, tending to be plumper and skinnier at different ages. So instead, they're compared to other children, and count as obese if their BMI is higher than the BMI of 95% of other children their age and sex (on the charts. I think people have become bigger since the charts were made).

The (adorable!) little girl has been measured at an age when children tend to be skinny, and that's partly why she can be obese without looking chubby. If she continued growing along that centile, then you'd expect her to have a BMI over 30 as an adult.

I'm just saying that to explain why she counts as obese, and not making any value judgement here. I think it's a thorny issue. I'm not sure yet how helpful it is to point out to parents when children are obese.

Very good explanation. And I agree with other posters that there is no reason to be all outraged and telling the OP to sue the school, etc. The school nurse is simply doing her job. The measurements are plugged in and the results are printed out and given to the parents as a guideline.
The little girl is adorable, and looks quite normal for a 3 year old, however by 4, most of the children have outgrown their 'babyfat' stage and no longer have the little dimpled elbows and chubbiness on their arms and legs and bellies that toddlers have. Perhaps she is due for a growth spurt soon and she will stretch her weight out.
All the school is doing is notifying the parents of a potential problem and suggesting they consult her pediatrician. If her height was in the 99% as well as her weight, there would be no problem. What sends up a red flag is when there is a large discrepancy between those percentiles. With the epidemic of child obesity in this country today, I applaud schools that are trying to help prevent this. Unfortunately, the sue-happy mentality of many people will probably end up tying the hands of the schools where they can no longer advise parents of potential problems, and the obesity problem will continue to grow.

My school did an eye test on my son a few years ago and that's when we found out he was legally blind in one eye. He showed no signs of having vision problems, as his other eye was 20/20, and he didn't have a 'lazy eye' or anything to indicate there was a problem. I am grateful that they caught it and notified us. We could have gotten all outraged at them testing him without our permission, and insisted that there was no problem as he could see just fine, but that sounds kind of ridiculous doesn't it? We are just more sensitive when it comes to weight.

bradwwood

do you think it is possible there was a mix up and they meant the letter for a different kid?

joselo2

Surely weather she obese it not is irrelevant, the school should stick to the 3 rs and other great education, not health. Will the dr be testin her times tables next??

ElliInJapan

I'm really surprised by all of the defensiveness in these posts.

Fact: You can not determine whether someone is obese, overweight, underweight etc just by "looking at them". People over and under estimate the weight of people all the time. And if you are using the barometer of other kids you've seen to determine this, good luck with that. Kids don't have to look like mini-sumo wrestlers to actually be overweight or obese.

I think that people have issues with the term "obese" as it applies to kids, but this child's BMI is > 99% for age and by definition that is "obese". The word itself is so emotionally charged but the definition as used by the school is the correct definition.

I seriously doubt that the school or nurse told this child she was obese or fat and I don't see the harm in informing the parents about where she falls for her height and weight for her age. Her weight may not be a major issue right now but it could become an issue later if noone is paying attention. So all involved should take this as an FYI and make sure the kid is getting appropriate nutrition and exercise. That's all.

Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but I really don't get all the outrage.

^This. I think there is a huge misunderstanding here with the use of the term "obese" for children. The point of the note is not to call your GD fat, but to let you know that there is a large difference between her weight and height for her age. Personally, I would be thankful that the school brought it to my attention. It might be nothing to worry about, but it may also be something that you need to keep an eye on. I'd discuss this with the pediatrician and measure her again in 6 months. And I'd thank the school! I can't believe some of the comments in this thread!

zentha1384

Either they should do a home visit for every child or leave it up to the doctor to discuss with the parents.

BMI is BS, and it is even worse to try to get children fit into the BMI Chart.

My aunt and uncle had the opposite problem with their daughter. My cousin was born 4 months premature and is tiny. My cousin at 7 was 4ft tall and 26 lbs. She cannot put on weight she still has a feeding tube, she goes into the doctor's office for regular monitoring every few months. The school actually called social services on my aunt and uncle saying they were starving their child... even though they had the information on record. Sometimes it is a good thing schools are watching out for children but it seem far too often they are over stepping boundaries lately.

harlesscasey

I do not go by what the school/pre k says. My neice is in pre k she is 3 foot 5 inches and weighs 36 pounds and they said she was over weight. i think its crazy.. they even handed my sister a nutrition book. its crazy.

nklunk

That's so sad. She is a pretty little girl. Guess my lil man is obese than too. He's 2 1/2 and weighs around 32lbs. He was 10lbs at birth so he's always been a little fluffy. He eats some what healthy and is very active.

HotMamaByVday

Surely weather she obese it not is irrelevant, the school should stick to the 3 rs and other great education, not health. Will the dr be testin her times tables next??

Ha! As a teacher, I was surprised at what all falls under our responsibility. This is not a school decision but a government one.

leeann0517

I'm really surprised by all of the defensiveness in these posts.

Fact: You can not determine whether someone is obese, overweight, underweight etc just by "looking at them". People over and under estimate the weight of people all the time. And if you are using the barometer of other kids you've seen to determine this, good luck with that. Kids don't have to look like mini-sumo wrestlers to actually be overweight or obese.

I think that people have issues with the term "obese" as it applies to kids, but this child's BMI is > 99% for age and by definition that is "obese". The word itself is so emotionally charged but the definition as used by the school is the correct definition.

I seriously doubt that the school or nurse told this child she was obese or fat and I don't see the harm in informing the parents about where she falls for her height and weight for her age. Her weight may not be a major issue right now but it could become an issue later if noone is paying attention. So all involved should take this as an FYI and make sure the kid is getting appropriate nutrition and exercise. That's all.

Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but I really don't get all the outrage.

^This. I think there is a huge misunderstanding here with the use of the term "obese" for children. The point of the note is not to call your GD fat, but to let you know that there is a large difference between her weight and height for her age. Personally, I would be thankful that the school brought it to my attention. It might be nothing to worry about, but it may also be something that you need to keep an eye on. I'd discuss this with the pediatrician and measure her again in 6 months. And I'd thank the school! I can't believe some of the comments in this thread!

yeah that!!

some of the comments are just ridiculous. You would think that the nurse sat the girl down and said 'guess what, you're obese' when I think we all know that didn't happen. It sounds like the parents and grandmother would prefer to be in denial and get everyone all worked up over the big bad school rather than just take the child to the pediatrician and see if there's really a problem. If there isn't, just send a note back to the school saying you followed up with the pediatrician, thank you for your concern. End of story.

AmyFett

Oh good ****ing god... really? My daughter is 3, she weighs 42 lbs and she's 41 inches tall. So by their definition my daughter would be fat as well? People are so stupid. There's not an ounce of fat on my kid! Either of them actually, they're both tall and skinny! Lucky girls!

sabrinafaith

i would freak out on those ignorant people. my son is 42 inches and 43 lb in the 90th percentile. and thats when he was weighed the week he had a stomach bug, so probably normally 44 lb. he's rock freakin' solid. the kid is pure muscle. there are more things to consider in healthy weight than just body weight. i would have the pediatrician speak to those crazy people at the school.

pickledginger

That's appalling. Some good links left in comments to far better info than the school is using. Bury the school board in data about a) actual healthy weights and b) eating disorders, that's my suggestion.

She's a beautiful, healthy child.

Blown_Away1

:noway: She's just fine! I would be fuming mad at them...seek legal representation, especially if they sent it home on a note and it wasn't just verbal

whatupskinnyjeans

well both of my children are so called obese--- by their doctor. They dont do it by BMI at this age - its all based on averages. for example the average weight for a 1 yr old is 21 lbs. my son was 23/24 lbs and average height so he was considered obese... i mean cmon!! anyway just try to give her healthy foods and dont stress. some children have more muscle and a larger build. thats all there is to it

leeann0517

That's appalling. Some good links left in comments to far better info than the school is using. Bury the school board in data about a) actual healthy weights and b) eating disorders, that's my suggestion.

She's a beautiful, healthy child.

ummm the data on actual healthy weights in children comes from the CDC and based on their data, the child in the OP is classified as obese, so I'm not sure what 'data' you think the school board needs.

Excira

Whoa! That is just wrong on so many levels that I'm flabbergasted!

I really wish the government would get out of our personal lives and stop placing labels on our children. I mean, what kind of message does that send to a child? They should be having fun being a child - not obsessing about their looks.

My heart goes out to you!

xSakura

I looked exactly the same at her age, I was a healthy child, and was NEVER lectured about my weight! That's discusting... I'd be fuming. Some people in this world are so messed up.

FlaxMilk

Switching schools over this or suing them is going to cause this little girl a lot more grief than the original problem, which she is probably not even aware of.

If you don't want your kids tested, talk to the school when you sign them up. Many schools, even private schools, do height and weight as well as vision and hearing. Check the paperwork you received and signed when you enrolled them. I do think teaching children about height and weight is educational though, and falls within the school's framework. Schools teach about science, health, math, language, history. Why is learning about our own bodies and how they work so threatening? How are adults supposed to teach their children if they were never taught how calories work? So many of us go through life thinking too much food = fat without knowing more than that. I'd rather have my children be taught about how their own bodies work (in a non-shaming way) than have them learn over and over again that fruits and veggies are important without ever really understanding the reasons why.

KrazyAsianNic

That school is crazy. She looks perfectly fine!

truckinwife

Here's my opinion, she is not obese. And the idea of the school saying what she needs to eat or weight in at is simply out of control. If I were her mom, I won't even have the school go and talk to me about it. One of the major things that messed me up as a child is people labeling me as fat. She is still growing and children fluctuate in height and weight. To have a strict diet can harm her later in life.