Schools across the United States are sending out body mass index reports to parents in efforts to promote healthier lifestyles in their students.
However, the initiative may have backfired, as some parents are infuriated that the schools are telling their kids they are "too skinny" or "too fat."
Hope Green, a mother of two from upstate New York, spoke to ABC News about the reports nicknamed "fat letters."
"The last thing they need is the school to now step in ... 'You're too skinny,' 'You're too fat,'" Green said.
A 13-year-old middle school student in New York City told ABC News the letters added to her insecurity
"And I'm also bigger than a lot of them," Lucy Williams said. "I'm not incredibly skinny."
According to ABC, schools across 19 states are measuring students at an annual weigh-in, sending a letter home stating whether their child has a "healthy or dangerous" body mass index. Schools hope the letters will be a helpful tool to fight childhood obesity.
However, many health professionals reportedly believe the body mass index calculator is not properly indicative of the obesity and should not be used on students.
"I would like to see BMI testing in schools banned," Claire Mysko of the National Eating Disorders Association told ABC News. "For those who are already insecure about their weight, these tests can ... potentially trigger an eating disorder."
ABC News reports experts are concerned the "fat letters" may be more negative to a child's psyche than positive. Students are the ones who reportedly nicknamed the reports "fat letters."
"More than 40 percent of 9- and 10-year-old girls have already been on a diet. As many as 60 percent of all children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old are worried about their weight, according to Duke University," ABC reports.
Do you think the "fat letters" are necessary? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
