Boy Scouts ban obese kids from Jamboree

Just to play devil's advocate, it is quite possible this has nothing to do with obesity so much as fear of litigation. Fat kid breaks his leg, parents sue boy scouts for negligence.

Now, someone gets hurts and parents try to sue, they have a better case to show a prudent measures were taken. Everyone sues everyone now a days, and especially those with deep pockets. So they have to protect themselves from liability.

Skinny people can break bones too.

Agreed. But a lawyer can make a better case for an obese one, saying it was not safe for someone overweight to be playing. To add to that even if a skinny kid breaks a leg or whatever, the fact that they took steps is now part of their defense.

This is another example of well meaning, but uninformed, people doing more harm than good. If the physical challenges are really that challenging then the only reasonable way to make the determination is to require a physical fitness evaluation. BMI is going to cut out some very fit but muscular kids. That said, I don't think excluding kids from the entire event makes any sense whatsoever.

This isn't excluding "fat" kids. A BMI of 40 is morbidly obese. So yes, their hearts actually could explode out of their chest. For a boy scout age kid to have a BMI of 40 they would basically have to be as big around as they are tall or even bigger. It's probably dangerous for them to do the activity.

How many obese children have heart attacks? Im genuinely curious - i didn't know there was an epidemic of morbidly obese children having their chests explode.

How big would a kid have to be to have a BMI over 40?

morbidly obese. Like dangerously overweight.

Most of the time, true. But a blanket ban just on attending?

In 1987 I weighed 280 pounds at 5"10". I played football and wrestled. I ran 4 miles every day before practice and went on to walk on to division 1 college football team. That summer before my senior year, I went to a High Adventure camp and backpacked 50 miles in the N.C. mountains.

Based on those numbers, my BMI was 41.5. I would have been banned from a freaking jamboree.

I definitely needed to lose some weight, but it in no way hindered me from participating and usually performing above average.

Apples don't look or taste like oranges bro. You are comparing an adult athlete to a boy scout kid. Kids in boyscouts aren't built like athletes, they are built like kids.

That was when I was 17. I was the senior patrol leader for my troop. bro.

didn't even realize you could be in scouts that late. Thought it ended at like 12.

This isn't excluding "fat" kids. A BMI of 40 is morbidly obese. So yes, their hearts actually could explode out of their chest. For a boy scout age kid to have a BMI of 40 they would basically have to be as big around as they are tall or even bigger. It's probably dangerous for them to do the activity.

How many obese children have heart attacks? Im genuinely curious - i didn't know there was an epidemic of morbidly obese children having their chests explode.

Ok, I have no problem with kids not being put at risk. But I am an Eagle Scout. I went to scouting events on three continents. Completed a couple of 50 milers, I taught how to build stuff like monkey bridges, and even spent a summer in the Keys as a camp counselor.

I NEVER would have met this criteria as a kid. I was heavy, but fit. BMI is not a good measure of ability.

Kids will self select. Stress what is going to take place and let them determine if they are up to the challenge. If not, then pull them to the side and don't let them do a particular activity. But only if it is a safety issue.

If any kid needs to be challenged physically it is them.


http://conscienhealth.org/2013/07/boy-scouts-ban-obesity-from-their-jamboree/

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Boy Scouts Ban Obesity from Their Jamboree

At their quadrennial jamboree, the Boy Scouts banned obesity this year. Saying they designed this year’s event to be too physically demanding for boys with obesity, they published guidelines saying that no one with a BMI above 40 would be allowed to participate. Those with a BMI between 32 and 40 are subject to approval by the Jamboree Medical Staff, based on a detailed medical history. All others simply needed clearance from their physician, with a provision that those with a history of serious medical problems may be required to submit further documentation.

Speaking for the Scouts, Dan McCarthy asserted that their requirement “has motivated an enormous return in terms of both kids and adults getting serious about improving their health.” Scout spokesman Deron Smith stated that most of those who could not meet the requirements “self-selected and chose not to apply.”

Experts on obesity and physical fitness were not enthusiastic about the Scouts’ policy. Granting that the Scouts were on solid ground in protecting boys from activities that would not be medically safe, most called for activities that would fit the capabilities of boys at all levels.

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) issued a statement expressing strong disagreement with this exclusion because it further perpetuates weight bias against children affected by the disease of obesity.

“The BMI requirement is limiting physical activity for those needing it most and goes against the BSA’s own core value of ‘developing personal fitness.’ The opportunity to participate in the jamboree and increase one’s physical fitness should not be limited to a certain population of Scouts,” said Joe Nadglowski, OAC President and CEO.

Scott Kahan, Director of the Stop Obesity Alliance at George Washington University, commented:

Frankly, my most immediate reaction is thinking about several patients of mine who would be perfect fits for this sort of activity but would be excluded due to their weight. I hate thinking about them missing out on such an exciting opportunity, but it’s particularly heartbreaking to think about how they would feel when told that they’re too fat to participate.

I’m quite certain the exclusion wouldn’t motivate them to lose weight; rather, it would likely make them want to cower in a corner somewhere and wish they were invisible. There is a somewhat pervasive, but misguided, belief that shaming and blaming motivates people to change. It doesn’t; it just makes them feel bad and often paralyzes change. We’ve been essentially ‘making fun of the fat kid’ since time immemorial, and childhood obesity rates have only increased.

Francesca Zavacky of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance pointed out:

PE teachers work at meeting students where they are at and improving their skills. Schools don’t exclude any children from physical education, and activities are modified to meet the developmental level of all children.

Robert Lustig, a well-known pediatric endocrinologist at UC San Francisco, was more blunt. “This is garbage,” he said. He pointed out that the thinking behind singling out kids with obesity is flawed:

One in five people with obesity are completely metabolically normal. They have no metabolic disease, will live a completely normal life, live to a completely normal age, and not cost the taxpayer anything. They’re just fat.

Conversely, up to 40% of the normal-weight population — including teens — have the same metabolic dysfunctions of obese people. They develop Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and depression just as many obese people do. And they get to go to the Jamboree. That’s just not fair.

We’ve made considerable progress promoting fun physical activity for people of all abilities. Marginalizing children with limitations doesn’t help, it hurts.

Boy Scouts count respect among their twelve core values. It’s time to live up to it.

I agree with your opinion, but maybe they're looking out for kids' safety in that sense? My brother is there right now and I know it's a strenuous event. I feel that it's insanely taxing even for underweight/"healthy"/overweight scouts (as labeled by the BMI scale), almost as much as one of those Philmont treks or Boundary Waters.

Not to say that obese kids shouldn't be allowed, but maybe they're trying to prevent health hazards for obese children due to the extreme heat and intense activity of the BSA Jamboree? That's just my personal perspective, however.

Nope, everyone is supposed to be equal in America. Let the morbidly obese kids do it too that way their parents can complain and sue when they either can't complete the activity and get embarrased or actually get hurt.

What the heck? The BSA's mission should be to help develop boys into good men, with good male role models. Not throw out the ones that don't make the cut.

If they are banning anyone, they should ban the morbidly obese adults, not the kids.

Looking back, all my troop masters as a kid were obese. They seemed to be able to contribute, somehow.

Nope, everyone is supposed to be equal in America. Let the morbidly obese kids do it too that way their parents can complain and sue when they either can't complete the activity and get embarrased or actually get hurt.

There was a diplomatic way around this that didn't have to exclude or shame the children, but rather, encourage them to better themselves.

Positive reinforcement is a very productive way to motivate people and address issues as a society.