The case in summary A Norwegian study shows that most third-graders have no problem with being weighed and measured at school. Researcher Tove Langlo Drilen at NTNU and St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim found that 69 percent of the children were satisfied with weighing, while only one percent disliked it. There was no difference in attitudes to weighing between girls and boys, or based on height or BMI. Weighing and measuring children and young people is recommended by the Directorate of Health in Norway. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The debate has appeared at irregular intervals in recent years. Is it really harmful for children that they are weighed and measured in third and eighth grade at school? Some have said it can lead to eating disorders, while others have believed that the weighing is to press yet another defeat in the face of overweight children. But no one has investigated what the children think. For now. Clear findings – There were surprisingly few people who were dissatisfied with weighing and measuring. That’s what Tove Langlo Drilen says. She is a researcher at NTNU and St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim. Tove Langlo Drilen has also asked about the body image of third graders, and prejudices linked to weight. Photo: Sverre Lilleeng / news She and a team have asked over 200 children in Trøndelag åssen if they experience being measured and weighed at school. The study is published in BMJ Pediatrics Open. The results for the weighing were clear. When they were asked what they thought, 69 percent chose the smiley face emoji. Only one percent disliked the weighing, while almost 30 percent were neutral or less satisfied. By choosing a smiley face, children could say what they thought about measuring and weighing in third grade at primary school. Photo: Sverre Lilleeng / news There was no difference between girls and boys, nor in terms of height or BMI. Too heavy or light – There were few children with a high degree of obesity in the study, and we cannot rule out that children with severe obesity will experience the growth measurement differently, says Drilen. She says that studies from abroad show that children with obesity are the ones who are least satisfied with the growth measurement. In her research, she asked why the children answered the way they did. Those who were negative and skeptical said, among other things, that they were unsure of the result, that it was uncomfortable or that they were afraid that they were too heavy or light. – That is why it is very important to do this in a good way, says the researcher. A small part of the day At the schools in Trønder that took part in the study, the weighing is done in connection with the health day. This is a whole day set aside to talk about health, food and the body. Both teachers, health nurses and physiotherapists are involved in the scheme. – The measurement takes maybe 30 seconds in total. So during a long day, those 30 seconds are certainly not what they remember at all. They remember that they have rolled logs over each other, or that they have made scones that we have eaten together. That’s what health nurse Mari Mauseth Log says. She has checked the weight and height of many third graders in Malvik municipality. Mari Mauseth Log believes that it is often the adults who find it strange that the children should be measured, and that they are perhaps more skeptical than the children. Photo: Sverre Lilleeng / news She is happy with the results of the survey from NTNU. – It shows that most children think it’s perfectly fine to take part in the growth paint. Don’t talk about numbers At Hommelvik School in Malvik, specific things have been done to prevent talk about the “results” you get. Log usually has a colleague with her who looks after the small group waiting outside her office to avoid talking about numbers. She also believes that the system has changed quite a bit from when the parents of today’s children were small. – I think what we succeed in is wrapping it up as a natural part of what we do that day. Photo: Sverre Lilleeng / news – Important task In Norway, the Directorate of Health recommends that regular measurements of children and young people be carried out. They emphasize that it is the development over time that is important and that the measurements must be done in a “considerate way”. – Weighing and measuring children and young people has a long tradition, and is still in 2024 an important task in the health center and school health service, writes department director Kristine Hartvedt in the directorate in an email. The weighing itself is a short process in the health nurse’s office. Photo: Sverre Lilleeng / news According to her, the weighing makes it possible to follow the development of the children over time. – It could provide a good basis for preparing targeted health-promoting and preventive measures and evaluating the effect of these locally and nationally. In June this year, researchers from the University of Bergen were able to report that overweight and obesity increased among boys during the pandemic. It was based on the measurements in Bergen. Published 01.07.2024, at 17.15
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Few people find it problematic to be weighed at school – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
