(The Atlantic) – By the policy’s peak extent, in the 2010s, millions of students each year were receiving so-called “BMI report cards” in the mail—and some students even saw their weight status appear on their actual report cards, alongside their grades. Policy makers hoped that by telling students and their family about a child’s weight category, the reports would prompt them to make healthier choices and lose weight, reducing childhood obesity one student at a time.

But even as the practice was becoming more common, research was already suggesting that BMI screenings have no impact on students’ weight and can even cause harm. Today, many experts say, the evidence is clear that school BMI screenings do little to improve student health. (Read More)