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Schools to monitor obesity in students

jamesrage

jamesrage

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Is this a really a good idea?

Schools to monitor obesity in students - UPI.com
BAY SHORE, N.Y., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A group of Bay Shore, N.Y., school students will soon be wearing a watch-like device that allows school officials to track how active they are, officials say.

The devices are called Polar Active monitors and they count heartbeats, detect motion and even track students' sleeping habits in an effort to combat obesity, the New York Post reported Sunday.
"It's a great reinforcement in fighting the obesity epidemic. It tells kids, in real time, 'Am I active? Am I not active?' We want to give kids the opportunity to become active," said Bay Shore athletics chairman Ted Nagengast.
The monitors are distributed by Polar Electro, of Lake Success, the U.S. division of a Finland firm. They cost $90 each.

Read more: Schools to monitor obesity in students - UPI.com

Polar Active activity monitor for schoolkids raises privacy concerns among parents - NYPOST.com
Big Brother is joining the battle of the bulge.
A group of Long Island students will soon be wearing controversial electronic monitors that allow school officials to track their physical activity around the clock.
The athletics chair for the Bay Shore schools ordered 10 Polar Active monitors, at $90 a pop, for use starting this spring. The wristwatchlike devices count heartbeats, detect motion and even track students’ sleeping habits in a bid to combat obesity.
The information is displayed on a color-coded screen and gets transmitted to a password-protected Web site that students and educators can access.

​
 
From what I gather it sounds like spying on people. No, its not a good idea.
 
Just stop publicly funding the health care of people who self-sabotage.

There is no reason to overtly control people as long as you don't have to fund their way through life.
 
If my kid came home with one I'd give the school a chance to keep it or I'd personally return it.
 
jamesrage said:
Is this a really a good idea?

Schools to monitor obesity in students - UPI.com
BAY SHORE, N.Y., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A group of Bay Shore, N.Y., school students will soon be wearing a watch-like device that allows school officials to track how active they are, officials say.

The devices are called Polar Active monitors and they count heartbeats, detect motion and even track students' sleeping habits in an effort to combat obesity, the New York Post reported Sunday.
"It's a great reinforcement in fighting the obesity epidemic. It tells kids, in real time, 'Am I active? Am I not active?' We want to give kids the opportunity to become active," said Bay Shore athletics chairman Ted Nagengast.
The monitors are distributed by Polar Electro, of Lake Success, the U.S. division of a Finland firm. They cost $90 each.

Read more: Schools to monitor obesity in students - UPI.com

Polar Active activity monitor for schoolkids raises privacy concerns among parents - NYPOST.com
Big Brother is joining the battle of the bulge.
A group of Long Island students will soon be wearing controversial electronic monitors that allow school officials to track their physical activity around the clock.
The athletics chair for the Bay Shore schools ordered 10 Polar Active monitors, at $90 a pop, for use starting this spring. The wristwatchlike devices count heartbeats, detect motion and even track students’ sleeping habits in a bid to combat obesity.
The information is displayed on a color-coded screen and gets transmitted to a password-protected Web site that students and educators can access.

​
Click to expand...

Well, it sounds like this is going to turn into a typical whore's nightmare of worst scenerios and unintended consequences. If it were my child and he/she had no problem with it, neither would I. Beyond that, because this sounds like it's going to get quite complicated, I'd say forget it. Give 'em each a pedometer and have them keep their own records. That really ought to be enough to reinforce the benefits of physical activity.
 
Sounds good to me. Childhood obesity is becoming a real problem. Part of the role of schools has always been physical education. There is no reason that element can only take place in the gymnasium. Besides, lots of schools have been forced to cut gym class altogether due to budget cuts. Something like this would probably at least give some fallback for that. Kids are at school like half of their waking hours during the school year. If they aren't being active enough, the schools share half the blame for that, so I'm glad to see some of them are stepping up and doing their part to address the problem.
 
If a parent wants to monitor - that's fine.

But this doesn't sound like the parents are given a choice . . . just how on EARTH do these ideas like this enter into the minds of school officials? Seriously? Things like this happen such as the case with the laptops being sent home and school officials were taking photos (lots of them) of the kids at home in their rooms through the webcam app.

I mean - it's CREEPY as hell, honestly - knowing that there are people in our school system who want to SNOOP and SPY so much on us and our children and how we conduct ourselves.

Ugh - I swear! Have they just lost their minds . . . jesus!
 
teamosil said:
Sounds good to me. Childhood obesity is becoming a real problem. Part of the role of schools has always been physical education. There is no reason that element can only take place in the gymnasium. Besides, lots of schools have been forced to cut gym class altogether due to budget cuts. Something like this would probably at least give some fallback for that. Kids are at school like half of their waking hours during the school year. If they aren't being active enough, the schools share half the blame for that, so I'm glad to see some of them are stepping up and doing their part to address the problem.
Click to expand...

They were forced to cut gym due ot budget cuts - and that makes monitoring our children's bodies in and out of school as being OK? Nevermind that these things cost money :shrug:

How on earth do you arrive at that conclusion?

What my children do outside of school is NONE of their business.
 
Viktyr Korimir said:
This is absolutely intolerable.
Click to expand...

Why? They're ordering 10 of the things. The school my mom taught at didn't have these, but they had like 10 of those "pedometers" that measure how many steps you take in a day. They had kids take turns wearing them and they would make graphs in class about how many steps they took and when and how many calories that meant they burned and whatnot. Each kid would wear one for like 24 hours once a year or whatever. The kids loved it and it was a good way to teach them about math and exercise and health and whatnot. My mom loved it too. She used to wear it around the house sometimes for fun. It's pretty interesting data really. Some days you literally may only walk like 100 steps and other days you might walk 10,000 and not really even be that aware of it.
 
Neomalthusian said:
Just stop publicly funding the health care of people who self-sabotage.
Click to expand...
We're discussing school kids. they are not 'self-sabotaging', they have not received the education or help in developing healthy habits. This could be a part of that education. You are only self-sabotaging if you know and understand the consequences of your actions.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
They were forced to cut gym due ot budget cuts - and that makes monitoring our children's bodies in and out of school as being OK?

How on earth do you arrive at that conclusion?

What my children do outside of school is NONE of their business.
Click to expand...

I don't really get what the concern is... What are you worried would happen? It just tracks their heartbeats. The only are getting 10 of them. It's not like some permanent monitoring tool or something. It's like "hey kids, lets do a science experiment today to see how many heartbeats you have when you're sleeping, when you're walking and when you're reading for the next 24 hours"... Kids generally really enjoy science experiments that involve themselves in some way. Things where they can see their own pulse rate and figure out what makes it go up and what makes it go down. That's just the kind of science exercise that gets them excited about science, and in this case, about fitness too. My mom was a teacher and they did similar, although lower tech, science activities all the time. The kids love that kind of stuff.

I'm sure if a kid's parents didn't want him to wear it for some reason, the school would be fine with that, although I don't get why any parent would think it was a problem.
 
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Let me get this straight, it's voluntary?


"A program like this should only be voluntary. Nobody should be forced to reveal biological indicators," he said.



Read more: Schools to monitor obesity in students - UPI.com

And it allows kids to know, and not for the schools to anything?

Sounds like a study to use technology as a tool for improvement. Someone articluate for me what the complaint is. I have to understand that before I form an opinion.
 
teamosil said:
I don't really get what the concern is... What are you worried would happen? It just tracks their heartbeats. The only are getting 10 of them. It's not like some permanent monitoring tool or something. It's like "hey kids, lets do a science experiment today to see how many heartbeats you have when you're sleeping, when you're walking and when you're reading for the next 24 hours"...

I'm sure if a kid's parents didn't want him to wear it for some reason, the school would be fine with that, although I don't get why any parent would think it was a problem.
Click to expand...

If it doesn't bother you then that's fine - you can wear it.

But my kids aren't there for the school's endlessly nosy-body snooping satisfaction. Something such as that is not for schools to decide - it is for me to decide.

How much more invasive will things get: from taking pictures of children while they're in the privacy of their bedrooms at home to monitoring heartbeat and sleeping habits - to what else? Random visits at the home to inspect the fridge? Then what? Random snoops into the family financial history or showing up on Halloween to inspect the candy?

Why is it permissible for schools to continually cross the line and PLAY parent?
 
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Andalublue said:
We're discussing school kids. they are not 'self-sabotaging', they have not received the education or help in developing healthy habits . This could be a part of that education. You are only self-sabotaging if you know and understand the consequences of your actions.
Click to expand...

How do you know they haven't?
 
Aunt Spiker said:
If it doesn't bother you then that's fine - you can wear it.

But my kids aren't there for the school's endlessly nosy-body snooping satisfaction. Something such as that is not for schools to decide - it is for me to decide.
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Well, I'm sure that if your kids' school wanted to do this sort of science activity you could request that your kid be excluded. I still don't get what you're worried about though. I think you're mixing up what it is about. It's not like the school is like trying to build a case against parents for something or whatever. It's to teach the kids what happens in their body when they're more active and less active.
 
teamosil said:
Well, I'm sure that if your kids' school wanted to do this sort of science activity you could request that your kid be excluded. I still don't get what you're worried about though. I think you're mixing up what it is about. It's not like the school is like trying to build a case against parents for something or whatever. It's to teach the kids what happens in their body when they're more active and less active.
Click to expand...

Bad ideas spread like wildfire - one school does it and soon they're all doing it if they can get away with it. I'm fine with it *at school* as part of science/fitness class . . . but it should end there and not involve things like "bedtime" monitoring and such unless the parents gave permission FIRST and have FULL say over what happens - it shouldn't just be sent home spontaneously or even required.

Per 'building a case' - why do you think they won't? Schools are required to report any and all suspected 'child abuse' activity regardless of validity . . . If some people are willing to take photos of kids via webcam I don't think it's impossible for one such individual to make a stink out of sleeping habits.
 
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Aunt Spiker said:
Bad ideas spread like wildfire - one school does it and soon they're all doing it if they can get away with it. I'm fine with it *at school* as part of science/fitness class . . . but it should end there and not involve things like "bedtime" monitoring and such unless the parents gave permission FIRST and have FULL say over what happens - it shouldn't just be sent home spontaneously or even required.
Click to expand...

Again, isn't this exactly that, voluntary, with parents permission?
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Bad ideas spread like wildfire - one school does it and soon they're all doing it if they can get away with it. I'm fine with it *at school* as part of science/fitness class . . . but it should end there and not involve things like "bedtime" monitoring and such unless the parents gave permission FIRST and have FULL say over what happens - it shouldn't just be sent home spontaneously or even required.
Click to expand...

Again, why? Explain the impact. What bad do you worry would come of a science experiment that monitors their sleeping heart rate?
 
seems the best way to address obesity at school is health class and PE.
 
1Perry said:
How do you know they haven't?
Click to expand...
If they have then it hasn't yet sunk in, so more effort is needed. This seems like an eminently sensible and imaginative initiative to assist their health education. I really can't see what the fuss is about.
 
Helix said:
seems the best way to address obesity at school is health class and PE.
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I assume that's where they would use these. As an experiment in health class or whatever. Homework.

That said, unfortunately, many schools have had to eliminate PE class because of budget cutbacks.
 
If this is voluntary with the parent's permission, fine.


If it is being done against parental wishes, I'd tear someone's head off and **** down their neck.
 
Sounds like a terrible idea to me. **shrugs**

I understand childhood obesity is a problem, BUT it's not one schools and teachers should be dealing with.
 
melg89 said:
Sounds like a terrible idea to me. **shrugs**

I understand childhood obesity is a problem, BUT it's not one schools and teachers should be dealing with.
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Why? The schools feed the kids 1-2 of the meals they eat a day, the schools have the kids for 7 hours a day during which they have control over whether the kids are active or not. Lots of times the kids are in school until 3, then they're in after school activities maybe until 5, and have a bed time of 8... If the kids are getting fat, that seems like it's at least as much on the school as it is on the parents. Maybe they cut PE too much, maybe PE isn't strenuous enough anymore, maybe they serve too much pizza and too little broccoli at lunch, maybe they need to get rid of the vending machines, etc. Seems like the least they could do is help the kids understand how physical activity relates to their health.
 
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