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Body Mass Index (BMI) Measurement in Schools – Safeguard 7
Safeguard 7. Do not use the actual BMI-for-age percentiles of the students as a basis for evaluating student or teacher performance (e.g., in physical education or health education class).
Many factors beyond physical education and health education courses influence a student’s weight, so it is not appropriate to hold students or teachers accountable for changes in BMI percentiles. Using BMI results to evaluate performance might heighten attention to weight and increase stigmatization and harmful weight-related behaviors.
Knowledge, skills, and changes in dietary, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors are more appropriate as performance measures.
