The Ministry of Education will begin screening students aged 5 to 9 years old for BMI to address the problem of overweight children.
Students between the ages of 5 and 9 will be required to undergo a height and body mass index (BMI) screening, according to a news release from the Superintendent of Education, which states that the Department of Education will begin a BMI 5-9T program to address the problem of overweight children. Students will be required to take it starting on the first day of the 2022/2023 school year, followed by two times a year.
The first BMI test will be administered in the third month of the school calendar, and the second will be administered five months later. After obtaining the student’s BMI, the school will need to implement physical activity and practice healthy eating for the student, which will take place during the academic program, outdoor activities and physical education classes.
The BMI is the Body Mass Index, or height and weight, and is calculated simply by dividing weight by height squared. Generally speaking, the ideal BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9. Below 18.5 means underweight, above 24.9 weight is overweight.
The formula is: BMI = weight ÷ height 2. (Weight in kilograms; height in meters)
For example, a child whose height is 130 cm and weight is 25 kg will have a BMI of 14.7, which is considered underweight.
