title: BMI screening in schools: helpful or harmful.
abstract: This is a comprehensive review of policies and research regarding body mass index (BMI) screening in schools in the United Kingdom and the United States. Although there are potential benefits to conducting screenings in schools, there is also the potential to do harm to the children who are identified as overweight. School administrators need to consider a number of factors discussed in this article before making a decision about committing resources to BMI screening.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3104, USA. jikeda@berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Joanne P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Patricia B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Woodward-Lopez
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D010290:Parents; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011287:Prejudice; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012649:Self Concept; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States; D015431:Weight Loss