Sorry guys but BMI measurements based on weight/height are wildly inaccurate. My whole life according to your chart I have been obese but when I stand buck naked in front of the mirror and stomp my feet the ONLY thing that jiggles are my breasts everything else is rock hard and immobile. My cousin is well within the average category and she has rolls on her stomach, three chins and thighs that look like cottage cheese. Unless a doctor or nurse is performing skin caliper body fat tests then your results are useless and using them and pretending they are accurate is moronic.

I hope they don't forget to put a video camera in the bathroom to make sure everyone brushes their teeth.  What a nanny state!

I guess the governor doesn't really know how useless BMI is. I hope his own BMI is public record. What's next? He'll want a report on bowel movements?

I'm pretty sure they are just collecting data. Nothing a state can do to prevent moms (and grandmas) from feeding toddlers timbits and poptarts for breakfast. If your doctor is not taking your kids' heights and weights, and discussing any deviations from the norm with you, he/she is derelict.

As a clinician working with eating disorders, particularly binge eating disorder (BED) for twenty five years, I ask the Governor to consider several points. One, BMI is NOT an appropriate indicator of health. It was developed for research practices, NOT for assessment of obesity in the general population. The only people it helps are owners of insurance companies. Two, the focus for children needs to be on health, not weight. The conversation about good self care needs to happen with EVERY child and family. Third, many children go through an "obese" period as part of their development; we cannot suggest weight changing interventions when we have no information regarding a given child's trajectory.
And finally, continuing to focus on weight instead of overall health keeps the measure of success on a child's size. Any child not naturally thin falls under the label of "unacceptable". We need to honor size diversity and help children make good choices, encourage them to play, and value their body as their home. We know diets have a 97% failure rate. We need to teach children to listen to themselves and their bodies, not a doctor with another set of outside rules and regulations. All that teaches is shame. And with eating disorders at all time highs, disorders fueled by shame and weight stigma, BMI reporting is simply adding fuel to the fire.

Amy Pershing, Executive Director, Pershing Turner Centers

@!$%# YOU SNYDER!!! This is goin TOO far by interfering in kids lives and families....I dont think your as concerned as you would like us to believe...just another attempt from you and the MAN trying to invade personal privacy and free will!!

@!$%# YOU SNYDER!!! This is goin TOO far by interfering in kids lives....I dont think your as concerned as you would like us to believe...just another attempt from the MAN trying to invade personal privacy and free will!!

I honestly don't see how this information will accomplish anything positive. It feels like one of those things that a state might do so they can claim the label of "proactive". Why not ask people to register as formula feeders or smokers, or to provide their doctors with a list of how much soda their children drink in a year and how many hours of exercise they get? Poverty is associated with negative health outcomes for children, so perhaps parents' salaries should be kept in a database that is attached to children's medical records, so the state can monitor how healthy children are, and step into offer assistance. Honestly, what are they going to do about the BMI's of children? The only possible thing I can think of is the state wants gather the data and see how children are affected 20 to 50 years down the road. If they aren't going to gather other variables, though, there is not much use here. If they are worried about the health of the children, the emphasis should be on making healthy lifestyle choices, and these should be made across the board.

The new era of nazi's, he was bad news from the get go, now you are stuck with a idiot who is over stepping his boundries. Socialism in ypsi and A2 is one thing snyder but trying to do as the nazi's did won't fly here. Read the constitution and see if you are allowed to try and control everyone's lives. Names with held, ya sure, heard that from scumbag politicians before.

Just sit back and enjoy the show, you are part of it. Evil wins when good men do nothing.

I read Michelle's lips at the 2011 911 Memorial. For those who have not heard or seen the evidence of this story; you might want to try and keep up. The Obama controlled lame scream media has kept the lid on this story. As far as Michelle's intrusion into our children's lives; since when did you get the idea you were a better parent than the rest of us?

My son is 28 years old, stands 76 inches tall, and weighs in around 400 pounds. He just had a physical where his doctor called him disgustingly healthy with pulse, BP, blood work, etc. showing NORMAL. The only deviation from the norm was his BMI. Let's start this at the beginning. At birth, he eighed 12 pounds, 13 ounces. At three months, he weighed 26 pounds. At a year, he was 38 inches tall and weighed 39 pounds. At 12, he was 66 inches and weighed 195 pounds. As a high school freshman. he started the year at 74 inches and 230 pounds.

His BMI TODAY IS 36????

What an excellent idea, BMI is an excellent indicator/tool that is accurate enough to know whether our child are obese or not.... we need more indicators like THIS in this super size me world.

The entire food system needs to be changed in this country. It's interesting that the goverment is now trying to place the burden on the people rather than asking how advertising affects health decisions. We are exposed to dozens of ads saying "Eat this cookie and you will be sexy." or "Drink this soda and you will be happy." or "Kids, tell your mom to buy the food shaped like this trademarked cartoon charector."

The goverment will be careful not to let the conversation about obesity stray into advertising regulation, because they want to keep it so that you can still be told eating a potato chip will make you happy, and also that you decision to eat that chip is your fault and you are going to be charged a higher premium on your insurance, in effect kicking out those poor and unhealthy. That is what this is about really, insurance companies are paving the road to kicking people out of the health care system because people do what advertising is telling them to do. If advertising didn't work, I kinda doubt a superbowl ad would cost 1.5M a second.

Lets be honest here as long as there are no restrictions on advertising or regulations on what ingredients can go into food the health of this nation will stay on the same path, regaurdless of whatever short bursts of interest politicians show it.

Just another Governor needs to get his head out of his "ass" and deal with more important problems during these difficult times.

I think it's true that BMI isn't the most accurate indicator of a person's overall fat content. But it's likely the easiest and most succinct way of tracking a population's growth over time. Obesity IS an epidemic and it costs everyone (even you) money. I have to say I'm really not worried about a nanny state. I'm really more worried about a morbidly obese state.

What I really would like for people to remember is that even if you're obese and asymptomatic now the likelihood that you will become symptomatic (heart disease, diabetes, CAD, MI, stroke, etc) is almost a 1:1 correlation. Our bodies have a remarkable capacity for homeostasis but that capacity lessens over time.

Eat less and exercise more. And I am talking to you.

Does anyone even realize that the BMI index was created as a way to basically measure weight differences in different economic classes in BELGIUM many, MANY years ago? Why do people treat it like it has some scientific/health merit in today's society?

BMI is nearly useless, it's outdated and wildly inaccurate. My boyfriend is 5 foot 5 inches tall of Japanese descent with a stocky build weighing in at 180 lbs and is considered obese. I can't squeeze a bit of fat on his body. How about we just focus on the overall health of children? I'm considered "morbidly obese" at 5 foot 5 inches and 230 lbs. Yeah i know it's a lot but i have DDD breasts so i attribute 50 lbs to just them :) My cholesterol is low, my blood pressure is low and my resting heart rate is 50. I do exercise 30 min a day, still can't manage to shed any weight so that's just how my body wants to be.