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    The students of the Neshaminy School District are weighed and measured every year as part of the health assessment mandated by the state of Pennsylvania.
     
    Beginning in September 2005, the state requested that the nurses calculate a Body Mass Index and a Body Mass Index Percentile as provided by the Centers for Disease Control.
     
    A Body Mass Index [BMI] is a weight for stature index that can be utilized in conjunction with other health profile traits to indicate possible risk for disease.
     
     Because the percentage of body fat changes during the growing years, children and teens require adaptation of the BMI results to reflect this.
     
    The Body Mass Index Percentile identifies the place on the growth charts where a particular student compares with other students of the same gender and age.
     
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have suggested that Body Mass Index percentiles less than 5% and more than 85% may represent risk to health. Neither the BMI nor the BMI% is a diagnostic tool.
     
    These results are  provided for you to share with your student’s health care provider. The student’s health care provider is the person most qualified to evaluate your student’s measurements in conjunction with the child’s other health profile traits and to make recommendations for addressing health risks if they exist.
     
    For more information on Body Mass Index and health you can log onto the web site for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services at www.cdc.gov/growthcharts.
     
     Information on nutrition and activity resources can also be obtained from Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity at www.nrgBalance.org