F is for fat

Education: Obesity report cards fight childhood bulge, but do they also harm self-esteem? | Mark Bergin

As a sophomore in high school, Irie Thomas of Hope, Ark., weighed 285 pounds. Two years later, the 17-year-old senior is a svelte 180. Thomas says there's no magic formula for such dramatic results—just the tried and proven techniques of regular exercise and strict abstinence against soda and fried food.

But the health-conscious teen may never have discovered his new lifestyle were it not for a magic bullet-point tacked onto the end of his academic grades. Hope High School sent Thomas home with a failing body mass index (BMI) report card two years ago, outlining the serious medical dangers of his sizable weight problem and recommending he consult a doctor for help. That scholastic intervention pushed Irie's mother, Danita Thomas, to contact the pediatric fitness clinic at Arkansas Children's Hospital. "I already knew Irie was overweight," she said. "But getting that report card was really scary."