The bill proposes to measure
body mass index, BMI...
That's what we're doing here today,
address the core problems we face.
And this is a great move forward,
so I support the bill.
It's not like I don't respect authority,
or believe in our government,
or trust the adults who are in charge of us.
We do hearing the objection title that was agreed to.
It's just that...
Well, the past year has changed the way
I understand the world.
Just one year ago, I was a junior in high school,
worrying about doing my homework,
looking forward to getting my driver's license,
and doing my best to fit in
and make friends.
And now, here I am
in the middle of a national controversy,
in the personal debate
with our public officials,
all over the simplest thing in the world,
a number.
But this isn't just any number.
This number is special.
To get it, you take one number,
divide it by another which has been squared,
and then multiply that
by seven hundred and three.
The resulting number is, well,
magic.
This one number tells a story,
a story about your past
and even predicts your future.
Obviously, a number that holds this much power
would be valuable.
And this one is.
So much so that some people
try to keep their number secret
for fear of what it might tell,
while others don't believe in the number at all.
Then there are those,
even in our own government,
who believe in the number's power so much
that they fight to gain access to yours,
using the number to determine whether or not
you are acceptable.
Yes, acceptable.
Not my words.
Theirs.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Maybe I should back up,
you know, to the beginning.
Or at least my beginning
and to what brought me to this point,
fighting over a simple number.
- Dum, dum, dum... - Looking back,
I kind of feel bad for what I put my parents through.
That's good, Bailey. You having fun?
No?
Apparently, I wasn't a pleaser.
Hello.
When asked a question, I would just grunt.
I hated costumes and school plays,
despised being paraded around
and refused to perform for anyone.
That's me right there
at my first public protest
at age four.
Hugs were out of the question.
No smiling for pictures.
Yeah, here's an Easter smile for you.
Some friends even gave my parents a book
called the strong- willed child.
I guess, it was supposed to teach them
how to deal with me or something.
This is where I live,
a small, historic town in Ohio.
After school, we can walk down main street,
pass the old garage,
pass the church on the corner,
and hang out at the ice cream parlor,
which is right across the street
from the gun shop.
Yup, it doesn't get any more American
than this.
And this is my high school,
where I was taught that we have the greatest government
in the world.
This is also where I learned to,
well, behave.
Remember that strong-willed child
who was always making a fuss?
She eventually became the soft-spoken, polite kid
that barely anyone notices.
I pretty much keep to myself,
stay out of trouble,
and never, ever question authority.
That is until last year
when a bunch of us students
decided to stage a protest.
There was friction between the new school board
and our principal,
so the board decided
to promote him right out of his job.
But us students weren't having it.
Our top story today.
High school students dressed in black
storm the school board meeting
in which their beloved principal was voted out
and removed from his position.
This was the first time that I've ever held
a protest sign
or chanted on a public official.
Principal and instead...
I had my first taste of democracy
and it tasted great.
Are more likely to succeed in this group...
In the end, the board backed down
and our principal kept his job.
It was then that I realized
that even kids have a powerful voice,
and I think I was finding mine again.
When asked, school officials did admit
that the outpouring of support had an effect
on the decision made tonight.
Reporting live in Springboro, Holly Samuels, 2 news.
This feeling of empowerment
must have been contagious
because a month later,
at another school board meeting,
a sixth-grader named Maddie
bravely addressed the board all alone.
But this time, it was about something
more disturbing.
I also received a letter from the school nurse
addressed to me.
As I read the letter, I was crushed,
discovered the school is telling me
that was not the healthy way.
Apparently, the school district have been performing
body mass index test on our students
and then sent letters out to kids
whose number didn't fall
within an acceptable range.
I felt betrayed by the school
because I could fit in to the school's idea
of what a kid should be.
Schools always supposed to be a safe place,
somewhere I could feel accepted,
proud of my accomplishments,
and not put down.
I'm active in sports and have a healthy...
This girl was inspirational.
The board promptly apologized for the mistake
and the moment was just magical.
And while Maddie got the apology
she was looking for,
it made me wonder.
Was this really a mistake?
I mean, this letter didn't mail itself.
And how many other students got these letters?
Was that a mistake, too?
Do they get apologies?
To everyone else,
it seemed like the issue had been resolved,
but this only raised more questions for me.
Carrots, bell peppers,
these are tomatoes over here.
And over here, we've got some asparagus starting,
which is our favorite vegetable.
Back there is cucumbers.
Which is my favorite vegetable.
And we've got some herbs back there.
And we're trying to do this without any chemicals
or any fillers, just water and sun.
- That's it. - No bug spray.
- No bug spray, no nothing. - No fertilizer.
As you may know, I'm a chef
and she's in the food business as well,
so we're both pretty knowledgeable of nutrition
and this was kind of an idea I've been wanting to have
in my own yard,
but also something that we had talked about
with the school board.
Maybe doing a garden,
have the students in summertime co-op
and have their own vegetables
for their salad bar at school, you know.
Teach children something that they can take away,
and carry within the rest... Because it tastes so much better
when you know you've done the work
to get it there, so, um...
It's amazing to think that a family like this
received a notice about health and nutrition.
Later that day,
Maddie told me about her own struggles.
Um, uh, my condition
is human growth hormone disorder.
Uh, that means I can't grow like a normal child
and I can't lose weight, so...
And I can't grow teeth and I'm very slow
and, like, that whole process.
In spite of her condition,
Maddie was getting along just fine at school,
until one day in gym class.
Nurses, I guess from the state,
came and weighed us and measured us
and it really made me uncomfortable
because there's another child in there too with you.
So I mean, it just, like, really made me feel awkward
and I really didn't wanna do it.
Did they give you a choice?
No, they made us do it.
What Maddie didn't realize
is that the district was actually grading students
on something more than just academics.
And here was my report card.
Then I found this letter
or what's left of it anyways.
And it basically says that, you know,
I'm high in my weight
and I ripped it up
and I threw it in the trashcan.
She got the mail that day
and opened up her report card
with great anticipation of receiving money
from her good grades
and she didn't wanna talk to me,
so she ran to her room
and locked herself upstairs,
so then I went to the garbage can
and found that she had shredded
part of what came in the mail
and it was the letter from the district.
My mom found it
and pieced all the pieces
that she could find together.
But obviously,
not the letter was found.
I felt like I wasn't accepted
in the society, basically.
I could never think about anything else at that time.
I could always think about how I'm a disappointment
to everyone.
The children that received that letter,
they'll remember that the rest of their lives.
They will remember, um,
how nice or sweet the school
tried to make it sound.
They'll remember that the school said,
"you don't fit in.
"You are different.
"You are not acceptable at what you're doing now
and that something needs to change."
So essentially,
if they received it for being underweight,
they're too skinny.
If they received it for being overweight,
the school is essentially saying, "you're too fat."
Um, those are words
and that's a moment and time
that these children will never forget,
um, and that is a shame.
Sorry.
So, in life, you hold on to those things.
And so, it's hard
when it's your kid.
At the time, I was really mad at the nurse
because her name was signed.
But then, the nurse met with my mom
and she told, um, her
that she had to send it
and she didn't have a choice to,
so I just felt really sorry for her
and I wished that that never happened to her either
because I mean, how much pain that put her through,
and it's something she deserved for that.
Nobody seemed to know
where the letter started,
why it went out in the mail.
I mean, how does a letter like this go out
and no one know about it?
It just isn't possible.
Well, someone has to know
where these letters came from,
so I setup an appointment
with one of our school board members
who also happens to be a nutritionist,
college professor,
and doctor.
I'm a dietitian whose private practice
is centered around weight management
and eating disorders.
So, I was absolutely alarmed that that went out
because you can't talk to kids that way.
That's the whole wrong approach.
I was glad to hear that someone else
thought that these letters were a bad idea,
but I wanted to know who was responsible,
so I went to the president
of the school board.
I don't think anybody
may have known about it until that night
that she came and spoke.
The way those letters are generated
is a state of Ohio
mandates that every school
conducting every child a BMI
or a, uh, body mass index
to, uh, to see where they fall.
This is sounding more sinister
than I thought.
State lawmakers are forcing our schools
to do BMI testing on us
to determine our health?
Is that BMI is an indicator of something,
but is it the most important piece of information
about that student's health?
It's not even in the top five.
So I'd say it's really not a value.
Well, that's good to hear
because lots of students feel the same way.
But we're still forced to step up on the scales,
so I decided to bring my own scale
and mandate a BMI test
for every adult that I interview.
Your height. My height?
Uh-hmm. Uh-oh. I'm five-six.
Five-six. Uh-hmm.
I already know what mine is.
It used to be 19. Can I use that one?
Sure.
Not surprisingly,
she didn't go for it.
No, not after age 30, I wouldn't.
I mean, kids that too, wouldn't they?
No, no. I agree. I agree. Yeah.
It would've been, you know, as a teenager,
it would've been very private for me, too.
Uh-hmm. I would not have appreciated it.
I was told that kids were weighed in gym class
and they weren't given a choice.
Would it surprise you that many of these kids
felt uncomfortable about this?
Well, sure.
I mean, nobody likes to be,
uh, tested, put on the spot.
But I think people need to understand
where they fall on the scale
and how they're doing as related
to the rest of the population.
Well, I'm glad you say that because I'm doing
my own BMI test.
Uh, would you mind stepping on the scale for me?
Um, oh, boy.
I probably... I probably should,
but I prefer not to.
Apparently, I don't have the same mandate power
that the state has.
To be given a choice,
would you like that?
You're good.
Um...
As it turns out,
the board president was right.
Two years ago, state lawmakers
introduced senate bill 210,
which mostly addressed improvements
and diet and exercise in our schools.
Our healthy choices for healthy children website.
And with a name like
healthy choices for healthy children's act,
it would be political suicide
to vote against it.
Maybe that's how
this one little controversial item
made its way into the bill.
The bill proposes to measure
body mass index, BMI,
on school entry in grades k3, 5, and 9.
And that's when the discussion
got interesting.
To say that our schools
are gonna body mass index
little kindergarten students
and third graders.
Taking people's body mass indexes,
I personally find that offensive.
This is a national security crisis
for the United States.
Make our people better, thinner, stronger
so we can wage wars
and fight the battles that need to be fought.
If you pick up an apple and you eat it,
you know, their hunger may go away.
Give me Liberty, give me death.
Two hundred thirty years ago the English,
now it's about a twinkie.
You must have went swimming over the holiday weekend
and hit your head on the diving board.
When I was in the marine corps,
you get your rear end kicked
if you're not in shape.
It's kind of like boiling a frog.
Slowly up the temperature five or ten degrees
until the flesh falls off the frog.
Or you stand and fill sand buckets
until you lose 20 pounds.
Maybe mom and dad
ought to take these folks...
Okay. Wait.
Everybody calm down.
What is BMI anyway?
BMI was created
back in the early 1800s
by a Belgian researcher named Quetelet,
and he was a man of many interests.
He was a mathematician,
he was an astronomer,
and he did some work, um,
analyzing body measurements
and he came up with a calculation,
weight over height squared.
It's calculated using kilograms for weight
and meters for height.
In the United States, however,
we typically record measures
in pounds and in inches.
Um, as a result, there's a simple calculation
that can be used and that's, um,
weight over height squared
times 703.
And the result is a... Is an index
which we call body mass index
which is an indicator
of linearity or thickness.
I'm Dr. Stefan Czerwinski,
I'm the director of the Fels longitudinal study
which is the longest running study
of growth development and aging
in the world.
Uh, the study has been around since 1929
and we continue to collect
body composition data on children
over their lifespan.
So we use BMI as an indicator of obesity
or what we often call adiposity.
We also use other measures
that describe that even better
in adults.
We know that their issues with BMI
just in regard to athletes.
And children in particular, uh,
growth in boys over adolescence,
um, what you're gonna see is higher BMls
due to muscle, not because of fat.
And I think most researchers agree with the fact
that BMI is not a perfect measure
because it's easy,
it's relatively cheap,
um, it's used probably more
than it necessarily should be.
Why then are lawmakers
putting so much emphasis on BMI,
especially with children?
To find out more,
I visited Claire Mysko
who's dedicated her life's work
to studying and solving issues
of health, weight, and eating.
At the national eating disorders association,
we really believe
in educating kids about health,
but to do it in a way
that focuses on health, um, and holistically
and this idea that kids should be fixated
on a particular number, uh,
to define their health is incredibly problematic.
Um, so for the state to come in
and say, "this is the measure of health
that we're going to apply,"
um, it's an inaccurate measure of health for one thing,
um, and it's totally based on a number, you know.
So for kids who are already struggling
with low self-esteem,
poor body image, which she...
We know poor body image is a huge problem
for many, many kids,
um, you know,
we find this potentially very dangerous.
And this is the way we ought to be doing it.
It's an important thing for our kids.
It teaches them life lessons
and I think it's very rare.
All of us will get together
and come up with a consensus bill
that's as good as this one
and I hope you all will be willing to support it
because it's good stuff.
This whole conversation is going to lead
to something very beneficial,
but I think the most important thing
is that children will have the knowledge.
I think we've done good work here today
for the citizens of Ohio
and for the children of Ohio.
I am all for educating kids about health,
but let's do it in a way
that makes sense,
that is not fear-based,
that is not going to lead
to shaming and bullying.
Um, it's so critical
that our government actually develops policies
that are based on good information.
Yes, I'm going to vote for this bill,
but what I would like to say
is as we look at the obesity problem in the future,
let's bring some professionals in
who've spent their lives
in the research in this area
to give us some advice. Thank you.
It's incredibly frustrating
that these decisions are being made
at a government level,
um, without any input from experts
who actually have the knowledge, um,
and who are saying again, and again, and again
that BMI is not an accurate measure of health.
The question is, shall the title be agreed to?
Representative Kearney moves to amend the title.
If you wish to add your name to the title,
please do so at this time.
Without objection, the title would be agreed to.
Hearing no objection, the title is agreed to.
So with everyone that I interview,
I'm doing my own BMI test.
And so I ask them,
"would you like to get on the scale?"
I have my scale right here.
Would you be willing to participate
in my BMI test?
You know what, I would not be willing
to participate in your BMI test
and I'll tell you why. Uh-hmm.
I haven't known my weight
in, hmm,
probably close to 20 years now.
And not knowing my weight
has been one of the healthiest things for me,
um, because at a certain point in my life,
I was obsessed with this number
and it made me very sick
and very unhappy.
And to be able to live my life
and feel healthy,
I go to the doctor, you know,
I get all the tests that I need to get done,
um, you know, I am not...
I don't live in fear of this number,
but not knowing it
has made me a much happier person.
Well, if not knowing your weight
could make you a happier person,
then our lawmakers are making
a lot of kids miserable.
So I decided to reach out
to the main sponsor of the fat letter law
in my state.
Senator Kearney's office, this is Emily.
Hi, this is Bailey Webber.
Um, I emailed senator Kearney a few weeks ago
and I'm trying to schedule an interview
and I didn't get a response,
so I'm calling again to see
if I could schedule an interview possibly today.
Um, one second, please?
Okay.
Because his schedule right now,
uh, we wouldn't be able to do a live interview.
But if you wanted to email the questions,
we can get the responses back to you.
That won't really work
because I'm doing a video project,
so I'll need to interview him
for a video.
His schedule is really busy.
We're not thinking that it's gonna be a possibility
to do any sort of live interview.
I can't explain what happened to me next.
But the more she refused to Grant me an interview,
the more determined I was to get it.
Um, do you think that there's any other time available,
maybe in a few weeks?
I don't have to have it, like, immediately.
No, I'm sorry. He's not available.
So, does senator Kearney
not do video interviews?
He does when it fits into his schedule.
Maybe, um, will his schedule
open up in a few weeks?
I can't give you a definitive answer.
I'm not really sure, so...
Um, I can do...
Not even just in a few weeks.
I can do in a few months even.
Would that work?
Um, not at this moment, no.
She just kept on saying, "schedule, schedule, schedule."
And I said... I'm like, "everything is open with me.
"My principal is okay with it.
"I can leave school.
"Um, I close to Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton.
"I can... i can drive there anytime, anywhere
even in a few months."
And she kept on going back to the schedule,
and then she got around...
She's saying that he doesn't represent me.
I'm afraid he doesn't represent you directly.
- Oh, okay. - So...
And I was confused by that because it's like,
"wait, he doesn't represent me.
"He passed a law that represented
me and my friends."
I'm starting to think
that it's not about, um, scheduling.
It's more about this topic
and maybe senator Kearney
doesn't wanna talk to someone like me
about this.
But... i mean, I'm not gonna give up.
I really wanna have this conversation with him
and this is gonna be a lot harder than I thought.
Now, there's so many emails.
Well, not everyone shies away
from this heated topic.
In fact, meme Roth
has been one of the more outspoken voices
in the debate over obesity.
And so, schools, for a long time,
have taken a role in child health and welfare.
They see a bruise or there's sort of,
maybe repeat broken bones.
You know, they say,
- "look, let's look into this." - Uh-hmm.
And I feel that on the spectrum
of vision, health, um,
hearing, scoliosis, and all the way
that is your problem in the home,
maybe there's some abuse going on.
Somewhere in that spectrum,
I think the BMI screening fits,
even though I understand
people are conflicted about them.
But seriously,
nobody takes your BMI
and send you to surgery.
Like, there's a big gap in between.
It is free.
It is non-invasive.
There's no blood.
There's no... not... There's no spit.
It's literally free, fast, and easy.
Uh-hmm. And it's just
an initial screening.
Uh-hmm. So, it just says,
"hey, um,
"your child might be a little overweight
"it seems here.
Go check that out."
Or, "hey, your child might be a little underweight,
go check that out."
If it takes the government to intervene
to help preserve a healthy life for these kids,
then I don't love that.
But I'm willing to concede that
if that's what it takes.
At first glance,
you might not think someone like meme
can truly appreciate the struggles of obesity
until you learn more
about her own personal experiences.
I come from a family that's overweight,
multigenerational, aunts, uncles, grandparents.
My... both of my parents
are very obese.
My grandmother was put into a, uh,
24-hour care facility
because her weight got so immense.
And I think about that obesity killed her well
before she died.
Imagine yourself unable or unwilling
to get out of your bed
because you're so heavy that you're willing
to just go to the bathroom in your bed.
That's where obesity takes people.
So, it's really hard for me
to call obesity beautiful.
It's really hard for me
to call rolls of fat curves,
because that's not what curvy is.
I know what curvy is.
And I think that people
who try to normalize obesity
or glorify obesity, they mean well.
They want people to feel good about themselves.
But really, it's not helping anybody.
But are fat letters from our government
helping anybody?
And if so,
where is the evidence to show this?
Hello, senator Kearney's office, this is Leo.
It seems the one person
who should answer this question
is the only one not willing to talk to me.
I called a few weeks ago
and, um, I also send an email
and I didn't get a response.
So, I'm calling again to set up an interview
with senator Kearney.
We won't be able to actually
schedule an interview.
Um, but if you want to email us your questions,
we can try to share those with the senator.
Okay.
Well, I did send an email
a couple of weeks ago
and I didn't get a response.
And plus, this is a video project,
so just answering on email
won't really work for me.
Uh-hmm. Yeah, I understand that.
But unfortunately, it's just that
with an interview like this, it's...
The more they turned me down,
the more determined I was
not to take no for an answer.
So, I just kept calling back.
Uh, so, I'm calling back again,
but I forgot to ask the question.
Can you give me a list of any of the places
senator Kearney will be?
Anything on the schedule, any luncheons,
or public speeches?
Uh, currently, no.
So, there's nothing on his schedule?
I don't have any... Anything like that
scheduled at this time.
Oh, can... so then,
can I just schedule an interview?
No, if you want your questions answered,
you need to email them to us.
It was official.
The battle of wills was in full swing now.
Hello, senator Kearney's office.
This is Leo.
Hi, Leo. This is Bailey again.
I'm calling again because you said
that there was nothing on the schedule,
so I would like to schedule a private luncheon,
and how would I do that?
I think what you're getting at
is if can you show up somewhere
and ask him your question
and have a conversation with him.
The answer is no.
I tried the confused angle.
No, there's no schedule?
I tried to be assertive.
He's willing to speak for us,
but not to us.
No, if you want your questions...
I even resorted to sarcasm.
So, is senator Kearney a public official?
Is he a public official? Yeah.
So, as a public official,
when will he officially be in public?
So, when you think about our lawmakers
and everything they do,
it's all scripted.
Hearings, they're scripted.
They're reading off a speech.
Um, commercials, scripted.
They're reading off a teleprompter.
Everything they do is scripted.
And when I called to have an open conversation,
they said, "no, we can't do that,"
but we can send an email.
Well, no, that's scripted.
They always are wanting like students
to be more involved in government
to learn about it, be interested
and, um, and I'm interested,
but they said, "no, this is all the question.
"The senator cannot have a interview
or a conversation with a citizen."
Do you wanna call again?
The BMI to notify them.
But not all lawmakers were silent on the matter.
Senator Gary Cates
was more than willing to talk to me
about the BMI law. So, I can tell you
from personal, uh, testimony
that there are times when there are bills
that come to legislature that sometimes,
you vote for something
even though you don't think it's the right thing to do
because you're worried about negative consequences
such as bad newspaper stories.
Commercials and campaigns
saying that you hate kids,
you don't want them to be healthy.
But sometimes,
even if you're the only person opposes to it,
if you think it's the right thing to do,
you got to do that.
And senator Cates did just that.
In fact, he was one of the few lawmakers
who raised concerns about the BMI mandate
during the senate hearing.
I would tell you the approach we're taking here
is completely wrong.
And so, the last thing we need to be doing here
is to get involved with this,
have our schools involved with this.
I was trying to convey to my colleagues
is that think really hard about this.
We're gonna regret this.
And I can't help but to think that the school district
is gonna be jumping up and down saying,
"yippee, now, we have this to do."
We can't do everything
in the schools.
There are some things that have to remain
within the family nucleus
- and I think that... - Senator Cates
was not alone in his descent.
Some school officials also stood firm
in opposition to the law.
I took it to the school board.
We had a discussion and we said,
"no, we're not gonna force our children
"to go through this kind of testing
in our school."
So, how does schools like this
get away with ignoring the mandate?
As it turns out,
the law does allow for a waiver
to be issued.
But there's a catch.
A district has to claim a financial hardship
to get it.
So, what if your objection is philosophical?
The question I have is what do we do
with a school district who may wish
to opt out for philosophical or other reasons?
This would not allow them to do this.
So, I'd like a clarification on that, please.
Senator Cadman, would you, uh...
I don't agree with that.
Senator Cadman, would you reply to the chair, please?
Hmm, a tricky one.
I am gonna phone a friend.
What? Phone a friend?
Oh, call me. I know this one.
The answer you're looking for is, no.
Senator Cadman, it looked like you established contact
- with that friend... - No.
Without phoning.
But I'll... I will phone a friend
and ask senator Seitz
who indicates that there is...
There is a answer to that specific question.
What?
Just answer the question. No.
Thank you very much, Mr. president.
My good friend from Butler county raises a very good point
because the requirement to get the waiver
is that it be for financial reasons
- and... - Clear enough,
that's a no.
Oh, wait, he's still talking.
If indeed the requirement violates
the philosophic position of the school,
clearly, that could have a financial impact
on the school because...
Ah, I see where this is heading.
I believe that this goes against their philosophy.
They are not going to send their children to the school.
And that will clearly create
financial hardship to the school,
then therefore, all they've got to do
is turn in an affidavit.
In other words,
make up a fantastic, convoluted story
that ends with an imaginary financial hardship
for your school.
Then, with a wink and a nod from the state,
you've got yourself a waiver.
The beauty of this amendment
is that the affidavit is in effect,
self-effectuating.
It is an automatic waiver
and that's why that last sentence...
My dad once told me
that people shouldn't see
how sausage in malls are made.
I never really understood what that meant
until just now.
So, for those schools
that have a philosophic objection
that will lead to financial hardship,
for those schools that don't wanna spend the extra money
for financial hardship,
one simple affidavit
is a self-effectuating way...
Ugh, that's disgusting.
Can we just take that off the screen, please?
Oh, okay, that's better.
I'm sorry everybody had to see that.
Then again, I'm just a kid.
I'm probably just misunderstanding
all of this beautiful language.
The board signed off on it
and I made the application for the waiver.
I don't think it was a great financial burden.
It was more of a philosophical.
Nope, I was right.
We're all in the same page here.
In spite of the criticism,
other states have begun adopting
similar BMI notifications.
But why are they so popular among lawmakers?
At Columbia university,
I met with professor Sayantani Dasgupta
who is also a pediatrician
and mother.
We have these knee jerk reactions
to things that we see as crisis.
And we wanna do the right thing, right?
We want a healthy nation of kids.
And so, we think,
"well, gee, what's something quick
and far reaching and simple that we can do?"
And I think that's how people fall into these traps
of legislation like this.
And it's very attractive
kind of one quick answer,
one quick number
that's gonna tell you healthy or not?
And yet,
the indicator itself, BMI itself,
may not be an accurate measure of anything.
And that's a really
kind of harsh reality to face
when you've made a bunch of legislation
based on the truthiness of this number.
Then, the possibility is,
no matter how good the intentions,
we might be doing more harm than good, right?
But it seems lawmakers
don't wanna talk about that possibility
and all the good intentions in the world
don't necessarily lead to good results.
So, with everyone I interview,
I conduct my own BMI test.
And so... yes. Do you now?
So I have a scale today
and I was wondering,
would you like to be a part of my BMI test?
Thank you very much for the offer.
Um, I don't think our young people
should be being weighed in gym class.
And I think I will choose
to not be weighed today either.
Okay, I totally understand.
So, you'd like to exercise your right to choose?
I do. You choose no.
Although I appreciate your private...
Yeah. Door-to-door BMI service.
It's perfectly fine. You know,
I exercise my right
and I'm not particularly affected by it.
What worries me is that I don't think
my 10-year-old daughter,
I don't think she would have the room
- or even know it was an option... - Yeah.
To exercise her right not to get on that scale.
Officials in several states have adapted
a controversial tactic
in trying to bring childhood obesity
under control.
They're sending what some call...
Nineteen states across the country
this September
are considering sending these letters home.
States across from, uh, new York to Arkansas to Illinois
are participating in this.
They're monitoring how fat the kid is...
Florida law that requires students
to have health screenings is stirring up controversy.
The parents of a young girl in Naples, Florida...
are being sent home to children as a part
of the Massachusetts department of public health's policy
to inform parents of their child's body mass index
or BMI and their risk of obesity.
As government BMI initiatives
and fat letters
spread like wildfire across the country,
it even extends to kids
who aren't overweight at all.
We got it, everyone got it that day in school.
And, you know, we were all...
I think we were pretty much all called overweight.
My friend said she cried at home
because she was called obese.
And she's not obese.
And it was one of my best friends, you know.
Yeah.
So, it says that I'm 60...
I was 66 pounds... Uh-huh.
And my BMI was 19.
Okay. So, it says here, current BMI
is 19, placing you in the 88th percentile
for child... For girls age nine.
Your BMI falls outside the healthy weight.
Please review your BMI with a healthcare provider.
And I was like, "oh, I'm overweight."
Yeah. And, like, at first,
I was like, "oh, I'm only 66 pounds."
And then, I looked, I'm like...
I'm like, wow.
The normal... I'm 88th percentile...
- Uh-huh. - And the normal one
is 77th percentile.
So, I'm only 10 away from normal...
From like, you know,
what they say is normal health.
They're going about it in the wrong way.
To me, it's just a way for them to say,
"well, we're doing something.
We're combating childhood obesity."
You're not combating childhood obesity.
You're... you know,
you're simply sending home a letter
that in fact might be doing
more psychological harm
than physical wellbeing.
You know, we hear so much in the news now
about the obesity epidemic.
And this is not to minimize the seriousness of it,
but we also have an epidemic
of eating disorders.
And we need to make sure
that in our efforts to confront one epidemic,
we're not adding fuel to the fire
of another one which is what we're hearing so much
that this, perhaps, well-intentioned,
but incredibly misguided approach
of screening kids for BMI
and sending home letters
is actually triggering eating disorders
and stoking an intense fear of fat
in young children
who don't need to be thinking about that.
It's very toxic, kind of, thinking for kids.
It was actually getting this letter
that then made her question,
is she overweight?
Which made her then examine her body,
you know, asking, "is it this?
Is it my thigh? Is it my stomach?"
And then,
it was a frantic feeling almost
of me trying to...
Trying to tell like, "no, no, everything's fine.
"No, that's perfect.
"You're perfect. That's fine.
Don't worry about that. That's not what they mean."
And all this encouraging.
That is what...
Was most disturbing about the whole thing.
Is that now, you just put this
into my nine-year-old's head.
You put this thought into her head.
Are you against vision screenings at school?
Are you against hearing screenings at school?
Are you against scoliosis screenings at school?
I'm not. I think it's great
that our schools help us out in that way.
And the thing about children's weight
is study after study show
that parents don't recognize
their children's weight problems.
You just kind of don't see it.
You think your kid is kind of normal, and so...
Well, that may be true,
but how did these studies define obesity?
I mean, would we even agree with the definition
or would we be counted as fat blind?
Like these parents who also received letters
calling their kids overweight.
But apparently, they just don't see it.
And he came home and said,
"I'm fat." I said, "you're not fat.
That's... where did you hear that?"
He said, "from school.
"I opened up my fitness gram
and it said I'm fat."
Clearly, this mother is delusional
and can't see her own son's obesity
the same way the state does.
Does that make you feel really bad about yourself, too?
Did you look at yourself in the mirror...
Yes.
You did?
The thing about the BMI screening
is that the reason the parents
are in an uproar over it,
the f isn't for fat.
The f is for parenting.
Those letters come home and parents feel like
it's an indictment on them and it is.
You know, what's for them to say
that my daughter is overweight? Yeah.
My daughter is actually active.
She's black belt,
not everybody is going to have
the model image, skinny
that the government or whoever say
that they need to be skinny.
I don't think she's overweight.
I think she's fine the way she is.
Well, they said I was obese.
I thought, "oh, my gosh,
why are they thinking like this?"
I felt like I was... I wanted to cry.
Go straight to my room and cry.
Just do what I did.
They don't... They don't know us.
You did when you got home?
Yeah, but I was thinking to myself,
I was remembering what I eat every night,
a daily serving of veggies and fruits.
So, I was like,
"if I have my fruits and veggies,
why do they call me obese?"
Yeah. There's no reason
for saying that.
It's like they called everybody that.
Each one of these kids
received a fat letter.
Like, they had a little measurement,
but they were called overweight.
The focus on body shape
and body image in our society
has become very extreme.
And, you know,
it's not improved a lot over the years
where young women particularly,
but I always have to mention
young men are forced into categories.
Well, that's what they think of us.
Yeah. It's not like they're judging us
by who we really are.
Kids, yeah, you can make health fun with them.
And it doesn't have to be accusatory,
it doesn't have to blame,
and it doesn't have to make a poor child
grab the body fat on their side
and say, "this is what they're talking about."
I've brought a scale
right here
and I was wondering if you'd like to participate
in my own private BMI test.
Come back in three months
when I've had time to lose a few.
You're fine.
No one else has wanted to be weighed.
I don't blame you. All right.
Through this experience, I've talked to many kids
and a lot of them are very healthy.
And they even say when they go to school
they feel really embarrassed.
Even though they're healthy, they feel embarrassed
to get on the scale at the school setting.
What do you think about this?
Well, weight has become a stigmatized subject
because a lot of people are embarrassed about their weight
and children are taught that you don't discuss weight.
You're not allowed to ask people's age and weight,
it's so silly. These are just numbers,
- these are just facts. - Yeah.
How old you are, how tall you are,
how much you weigh are just numbers.
And so we sort if spread this,
discomfort about our weight even for people who have,
like, what? I'm this number
- and it means nothing to me. - Yeah.
We make them feel, I think a little
uncomfortable about it because society's uncomfortable
- about the subject of weight. - Yeah.
Now, everyone I interview,
I conduct my own BMI test.
Ah. Yeah. And so,
I mean, just to be fair, I'm gonna ask you.
I have a scale here today.
Oh, no, I have to weigh today?
If you want, I'll give you a choice.
I have a scale here, and would you want
to participate in my own BMI test?
So this would be between me and you.
Not really.
It... that is perfectly okay.
No one had said yes. I have to think about that.
I have to think about... that's... No, no, no,
everyone had said no. Everyone had said no?
No one wants to go on the scale. Because they don't wanna weigh?
Yeah.
Yeah, and even you said the one thing you wished
when BMI was in school
is that they weigh the kid... Privately.
Privately, not in front of their friends.
Yeah. Very, very private, you know.
Yeah, I do... I do think it's private,
- but for me, right now. - Yeah...
This minute, this week,
I happen to know that I'm really heavy for me.
Otherwise, I'd be jumping on your scale,
like, of course I'd be happy. Yeah.
So, I feel like it's terrible of me
to not really want to. Yeah.
But it's because I don't wanna face reality
that I already know, which I'm about five pounds
heavier than I should be. Yeah.
And I know exactly why.
I know Halloween. Yeah, exactly.
I know the fudge tart cookies,
I know the nutter butters.
Uh-huh. I know why.
And, so I think that's why
- I don't wanna deal with it. - Yeah.
But, i... But I don't think it's fair.
I think I should get on your scale.
I think it's weasel of me... We... very weaselly of me
- to not get on your scale. - No, I understand.
No, I will weigh myself only... Yeah.
Because I think it's wrong not to.
Yeah. But I've given you every reason
why I hate it as much as anybody else
and I don't wanna go on the record
that I've ever been this heavy.
I'm so mad because I shouldn't be,
but let's do it. You... oh, are you sure?
Yeah, no, it's fair. Okay.
Oh, you put it right here. Okay, one second.
So, what is my... What is my allowance on...
Yeah. Well... All these pretend pounds
of clothes that I'm wearing?
We'll take off five pounds.
Okay. Okay.
So here's the thing... So, tap it once
and then you step on it. Tap it and then get it on?
Yeah. So this is why really sucks
because... okay, there. Oh, oh, sorry.
So, um... What were you saying?
Don't step on it yet. 'Cause I know that I'm...
Okay, you tell me... Do I do it now?
Now you can. Okay.
So this is gonna really suck for me...
Uh-hmm. Because... oh.
So I'm about five overruns this week,
but I can live with that. With everyone's support, yeah.
But that is what it is.
As I travel the country with my scale
making friends and making my case
I still couldn't reach the one person
closest to my home.
And then out of the blue it happened.
I'm sitting here at the computer
doing my homework and I look over to the TV
and senator Kearney is on the news.
This is the man I've been chasing for so long
and he's on the news.
Okay. Hold on. Let me rewind this.
I just literally got an email from the campaign
- two minutes ago. - Senator Kearney,
that's him. So, Wednesday, it looks
like the president is going
to be here. The man who doesn't give
interviews is on the news.
And he says where he's gonna be.
President Obama is expected to arrive
in Cincinnati tomorrow night.
It's gonna be his free
two minutes ago, so, Wednesday,
it looks like the president is going to be here.
And he's gonna be there, too.
I guess him and the president are tight.
I got to find out where there is.
I'm sorry but we won't be able
to get you any more tickets
because the event is sold-out.
I'm trying to think is there any other,
like, way I could get it in?
There'd be any extra seating, I can stand.
Well, you're welcome to come down
and show your support, but without a ticket,
I'm afraid you won't be able to get in.
I'm a student and I'm studying journalism
and, um,
and I would like to get in because I'm trying
to get this interview with the senator.
Well, if you have a press pass,
you might be able to get in that way,
but that's not handled by us.
Do you have press credentials from your school?
What are press credentials?
Well, press credentials are like an ID
that identify you as a journalist
or at work. Okay.
But again, press passes aren't issued by us.
That's handled by the president's staff.
So, I'm not really sure
what to tell you there.
I may not have press credentials,
but I have Photoshop and a printer.
My heart was racing.
After all this time, I've almost made it,
and behind this door was my destiny.
Actually I was wrong.
Behind that door was the secret service.
Thank you.
After a few uncomfortable minutes
of explaining myself,
turns out the president's people were kind of cool.
They even issued me a white house press pass
for the event.
Hi. This is Bailey Webber.
I'm here from university of Cincinnati
and I saw on the news that senator Kearney
was gonna be here.
So I was hoping maybe to get an interview with him.
I'm in the press area, so it'd be great
if you give me a call back maybe if you can come over here
and just talk to me. That'd be great.
Thank you so much. Bye.
Maybe he's here.
Hello, Ohio.
Wow.
It's the president.
The fight just yet.
I am not ready to give up on that fight.
Wait, Kearney's right over there.
For those of you who
and still trying to open their minds.
This is not just a choice between two candidates
and two parties, it's a choice between two
- different visions of America. - Where is he?
He just left.
He was standing right over there.
A choice between a return.
Hi, this is Bailey again calling for the senator
and I see him right here.
I was wondering if he could just come to the press area
so I can interview him real quick
if that's all right.
Thank you so much. Bye.
In the past, we feel the same way.
We want you first. You don't...
Let's see if he comes.
I got it.
That's him.
Yeah, that's him.
And so this can't make
you have to want the change, right?
And it starts with the choices that you make,
and this is what I tell my kids,
make healthy choices, right?
It's comforting to think
it's diet and exercise,
because it's something that feels controllable.
Just think about putting a little more fruits
and vegetables on that tray and then trying to eat them.
Can you do that?
Come on now.
There are a lot of researchers out there that,
that will insist it's a simple physics equation,
energy in, energy out,
and it should be fine,
but that's not the case.
You have to be active and move, right?
Can you help me with that?
Yes. Yeah.
We need to stop
putting this on the kids
and saying it's your fault
or there's something you're doing wrong.
We don't want whining.
Can you help us by not whining about a change?
You know, to single out kids and say,
"you need to change your behavior,
this number is a problem,"
you know, it's not the number that's the problem,
it's all of the other issues.
It's not one single thing,
it's gonna be 50, 60 different things
that we'll have to look at.
The truth of the matter is,
there's a big problem facing our country
and the solution isn't that easy.
We have been offering eat less,
move more lifestyle modification,
which is all important,
but we have been offering that treatment
for the last 50 years.
If it is that simple,
why are we talking about obesity today?
Why is it not fixed 50 years ago
if it was a simple cure?
Meet Dr. Nikhil Dhurandhar,
a physician with a masters in nutrition sciences
and a PHD in biochemistry.
Many, many people, when they hear the word obesity,
the first they think... Probably think of
is that these people who are suffering from obesity,
they have no willpower
or no self-discipline,
and that is what has caused their obesity.
But remember that obesity is a disease.
Yeah. It chooses you,
you don't choose obesity.
Dr. Dhurandhar's lifework
has revolved around researching obesity.
His dad is known as the father
of obesity practice in India,
and he's not only the chair
and professor of nutritional sciences
here at Texas tech university,
but he's also president of the obesity society.
Maybe we should listen to what he has to say.
But some people seem to think
they have inherent knowledge
about how to prevent or treat obesity
without necessarily studying
the science of obesity
and that's the dangerous part.
More scientists learn about obesity,
more I learn about obesity,
more I learn what I don't know
and what we need to find out.
The danger comes from simplifying the issue
considering this complex disease
as a simple matter of willpower.
And that's where the danger comes
about assuming so many things
that it is your choice
to become obese and it's your choice
that you will remain obese.
Sleep, you know,
too much sleep or too little sleep
is linked with obesity.
Environment of a baby in mother's womb,
in uterus,
is linked with obesity
as well as many other
metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
There are certain infections,
viral infections or other microbes
that have been linked with obesity in humans
and having shown to cause obesity
in various animal models.
So, the... These are numerous factors
that are an... What they call
as endocrine disruptors
so these are chemicals
in our environment.
And there are people
who are investigating
if those chemicals in our environment
are contributing to obesity.
So, intuitively,
it sounds like it's only that and exercise,
but what are the other factors
that maybe sort of superimposed
on that diet and that activity
or that hunger and that satiety?
And that could be many.
Chemicals?
Microbes?
Infections?
Viruses?
If you find that hard to believe,
hold on to your seats.
Look at this data
from the center for disease control
showing what an outbreak of flu looks like.
As a contagious virus,
notice how it moves and spreads
exactly as we would expect
a contagion to do.
Now, here's a map showing asthma.
As a non-contagion,
there is no pattern whatsoever to its growth.
It appears random.
Now look at this data
also from the CDC.
This is the spread of obesity.
It spreads exactly like a contagion.
It acts like a virus.
It moves.
If obesity is only about an individual's diet
and exercise,
how do we explain this?
The world health organization
has declared that we,
as in the world,
is in the middle of a global
obesity epidemic.
Every single country is experiencing
increase in prevalence of obesity,
and this phenomena is observed
only for the past few years.
What's going on?
Every population is getting heavier
in the United States,
to some extent Canada,
- Britain definitely, Australia. - Worldwide,
about twenty-two million children
under the age of five
- are estimated to be overweight. - Now one in five people
are overweight or obese in China.
- More than 250 million people... - Mexico has overtaken
the United States
in levels of adult obesity
according to a recent united nations report.
There have been various theories offered
why we're having increase in obesity,
prevalence all over the world,
but not a single theory
explains situation
in every country.
We have been focused on obesity in humans,
but it has also been noticed
that while we're doing that
in past 20 years or so,
animals have been increasing
their weight as well
and we don't know the reason.
But it has been seen
that companies
that supply... A certain company
that supply animals for research,
they have animals in very controlled environment,
and those animals
have also gained weight.
When we are talking about obesity,
it's not only in the United States,
it's many countries in the world.
And, no, it's not only humans,
it's even animals seem to be gaining
more weight in the recent past,
and what would be a satisfactory,
like, explanation for that?
I don't know.
It's
are in the building.
It's been seven months and I'm calling
senator Kearney back to schedule an interview,
and they told me they'll email me,
and then surprise, surprise,
they never emailed me back. So, I'm calling again
- to see if it's impossible. - You... it's not an issue.
No, no, no, it's not an issue of gaining
additional information from you.
It's an issue of creating a paper trail.
- Right. Um... - One thing we do
is... I'm sorry?
Is there... Is it possible for today
to pick a date
or are you guys busy?
No, like it's over...
Yeah, I actually have a meeting
in six minutes and...
- Okay. - If you can email it
to me then from you. It's an issue of creating
a paper trail in a way that we do in...
Can, um, we can pick a date
in six minutes,
is that all right?
Bailey, no.
You need to email me, Bailey. I mean, I don't know
what's the deal. Like, if I call,
I can't schedule, email can't schedule.
She tried to blame it on me like it was my fault,
that I'm not emailing the questions,
or maybe I'm not calling, I'm not...
Working as hard as I should
for this interview.
I actually have emailed lots of times
and nobody's gotten back with me.
I've called like six times,
I've emailed,
more than six times. I don't get it,
like, why would you be rude to me?
I'm not being rude, I'm just being...
I'm determined.
There's nothing wrong with that.
In here and send it to me.
I'll go over it with the senator
and I'll be happy to get back. How far will I go?
I think I'll...
I think I've gone far enough.
It's been seven months,
why not seven more months?
How about a year?
And they, like, make walls for me.
The walls treated me bad
and they treat me and my friends bad
and now they're treating me bad
personally on the phone.
I don't know. I didn't know about...
I didn't know that our government
was like this.
I guess this is, kind of, like a learning experience,
but I will get his interview.
You know, who gets to speak
and who gets spoken for in our society
is an issue of power.
If I had a message to give
to young women,
to young people in general,
I would say nobody can give you your voice.
You have to claim your voice.
And you have to speak,
and if they don't hear you,
you have to speak,
and speak, and speak again.
If they're not willing to listen,
you have to say it again and knock on a different door.
Hi.
Do you know where the senate session is gonna be?
Yeah. Upstairs.
Okay, cool. Thank you.
If they're still not willing to hear,
well then maybe they need to move over
so that those banded together young people
can make the change that's needed themselves.
This place is huge.
I don't know where I'm going.
Hi. Hi. Do you know
if senator Kearney is gonna be in here
for the hearing? Senator who?
Kearney. I don't know.
Oh, okay. I don't know.
Okay. That's fine. I'm not sure, honestly.
Okay. Thank you.
Yeah, I recognize that guy over there.
He was one of the people at the hearing
who spoke out against...
Or for the waver and he explained
that and he said that to pretty much lie
if it's not a financial burden
to put down for the waver.
So he's one of the makers.
Hi. I watched the hearing...
I said I'm doing this project,
on childhood obesity
and I heard that he spoke out
at this during the bill couple of years ago
and I'd like to get his perspective on it.
And he was like, "oh, sure, yeah,
we can do that."
And then turned around.
He didn't seem like he wanted to talk right now.
It's kind of awkward. I stayed in there
for a little bit, like,
"I guess this conversation is over."
I was just like, "um, don't get up.
I can see myself out."
Six. Okay. Upstairs?
Ground floor and
okay. Cool.
Six.
Here we are.
Senator Kearney's office.
I can't believe it.
Senator, minority leader.
Let's get the interview.
Hi. Mr. senator.
I got the interview. We're gonna schedule.
I'm gonna scoop out some areas in place.
They're really nice.
And, oh, yeah, that's not all.
I met with senator Kearney, he was right there.
He just kind of came in and then I introduced myself
and I kind of was surprised.
They're gonna email me back
and we'll pick the location
and we're gonna pick a date,
so I'm gonna get the interview.
Hi, Bailey. How are you? Very good.
Hi. Yeah, tell me what I should do.
Okay. Would you mind sitting there?
I'll sit wherever you tell me.
Okay. Cool.
Okay. Is this all good?
And, like, I watched the hearings and stuff
and so, yeah. Yeah. Oh, you did?
They're online. Oh.
And so... yeah, so I became,
like, very knowledgeable about all of that.
We have limited time. I'm gonna, kind of,
skip the first part.
Do you still recommend that schools continue to do
BMI tests and send out letters
to kids who are overweight?
Yes, I think BMI testing is very important
and the way that it was designed
was... schools wouldn't report
by school districts or by, um,
or by individual schools, they will report by county.
And so that way, we could get the data,
the state could have that information
and we could see if over time,
the things that we're doing,
the steps that we're taking
like incorporating gym class,
reducing the availability of sugary drinks,
including healthy food during lunchtime,
if that's working, and if Ohio's children's BMI
is going down.
So I still support it.
Once you find out some health information
about a student that their BMI is elevated
or above the acceptable range,
we felt it was a responsible thing to do
to inform the parent
and let the parent make the decision.
Are you saying, like, that parents,
like, they don't know that their child is overweight?
Well, they may not know
that their child is overweight
compared to certain statistics.
So for instance, you might look at someone
and look at your child and think,
"oh, my child is perfectly healthy,"
and not realize that,
well, there's certain health risks
that may be associated
with their current weight or body.
So it's just to inform them
about it. Okay.
And like, you know, like kids go to doctors,
are you saying that, like, the doctors
don't know that they're overweight?
Well, doctors may know
but doctors may not inform them
that the BMI is above
an acceptable range
or that the child is overweight
and what to do about it.
I know that when I take my children
to the pediatrician,
the pediatrician takes their weight,
writes it down on a piece of paper,
and that's the last you hear about it.
Oh, yeah. So they never talk
about the weight, um...
And my school did BMI testing on us.
Lots of kids got these letters
including my friend, Maddie.
Uh-hmm.
This is the letter she received.
Here. Oh, okay.
I take it Maddie didn't like this letter.
No.
Yeah, she got this letter in her report card.
She was so excite to see her grades.
She's an a student.
And she see... She pulls out the letter,
as frustrated as she was already,
she just ripped it up
and threw it in the trash can.
And her mom found it
and taped it together
and almost made her go into depression
and she... it ruined her entire summer.
It was pretty hard for her.
Okay. So, she didn't like
getting the letter at all.
No, she was already aware
and this did nothing to help her.
Hmm. Well, I'm sorry
about your friend, Maddie. Yes.
And it seems like it was very disturbing
by, um, by the letter
but I mean, hmm,
some of the... Some of the things
that the letter says is,
um, well,
I can't read all of it because, you know,
part of it is missing. Yeah, it says not go on a diet
and to see her doctor. Uh-hmm.
But other than that, there's nothing else
that is helping her
like an educational tool besides saying,
"you're high in your weight,"
like it even highlights it there.
Yeah, right. So, her mom
was pretty upset by it
and how, kind of... Oh, she was?
Yeah. Uh-hmm.
She... they're very aware.
And actually, her mom,
she knows a lot about health
and they have a garden in their backyard.
Can you, like, understand how they might feel
and how these letters might be going out
to kids who aren't necessarily healthy
and actually shouldn't be getting the letter?
No, I think everyone should get the letter
if they went through the BMI test,
because it just says whether you're above,
below, or in the...
In the acceptable range,
that's all it says.
And what you do with it
or how you react to it is something...
Is something different.
I can perfectly understand how some people
would be offended by the...
By the letter, but overall,
I think that the goal of what we're trying
to accomplish through the bill
and the implementation of the law,
are worthwhile goals.
I guess just Maddie
and kids who are like Maddie
are just, kind of, collateral damage
in this study?
Well, I wouldn't call them collateral damage,
I mean, I'm very sorry
that Maddie feels this way
but I think that there are some good things
that the bill is trying to accomplish.
Perhaps the execution
wasn't the way that we envisioned
but, certainly, I wouldn't...
I wouldn't use that phrase as collateral damage.
Okay. I don't... no,
I don't think of them that way.
Okay. So you just wish
that never happened to her
and people who are like her?
Well, I wish her reaction weren't the...
Weren't the way that it happened
- and I wish that... - Wow,
the senator's constant blaming is unbearable.
Parents are clueless.
Doctors are incompetent.
And if you're upset about being profiled
and bullied,
you're just reacting the wrong way.
But of everything that was said,
this was the most bizarre.
Yeah, we should find out
why they're sending those letters out.
Wait, what? Why are they sending
these letters out?
You've written a law forcing them to.
That's it.
It's time to do what I came here for.
I'm gonna get something.
So, just like you did,
I'm doing my own BMI study
with my documentary.
Uh-hmm.
If you wouldn't mind, would you please step
on the scale? Why?
Because I'm doing my own private BMI test.
I don't understand. I mean, with everybody
I interview, I ask them
if they would like to get on the scale,
because kids at our school,
they had to get on the scale
to be weighed for BMI test.
Okay. I'm willing to do it
but I think it was only fair
to let me know that you're gonna do
stuff like that beforehand,
but okay, I mean I'll do BMI.
Okay. Do you want me to step on it
with my shoes or without my shoes?
Oh, you can... you can take off your shoes if you want.
Okay. I don't wanna mess up your scale
so I'm asking you for that reason.
Yeah, it'll be okay. Okay.
We'll weigh...
The entire documentary?
The entire documentary.
The entire documentary is about...
Childhood obesity,
but one part of it is about
and how
I don't know... I don't know what that means.
Oh, a hundred and ninety-three.
You mean in terms of my weight?
Yeah. No.
What? Did he say, no?
I guess we've all been there at some point.
Looking down at that number in disbelief,
telling the scales, "no."
After spending an awkward moment
debating whether scales are more accurate
on carpet or tile,
the senator finally agreed to his weight.
We can just use this number.
It's 19... it says 193.
Yeah. I'm 72 inches.
Thank you for doing that.
Okay. Well, I don't have a problem.
I mean... Just some people...
If you wanna know my BMI, I don't...
I don't mind that. Some people feel like
being weighed is uncomfortable
and they only think it's for them
and their doctor.
Okay, well... Can you understand how...
People can have... Can have that opinion.
Sure. Yeah. Do you feel like I,
kind of, crossed my boundaries
asking you to do something personal
that's between you and your doctor?
No, this is what I think.
If you had told me beforehand,
I would have been more than happy
to agree to do that.
So, you know,
if you wanna know my BMI,
it's not really quite frankly that personal.
- I don't really mind it. - Yeah.
Or if somebody wants to know my weight,
- that's okay, too. - You seem very fit,
but what about, like, overweight kids,
can you understand how overweight kids
feel uncomfortable? Yes. Yes.
I understand. I'm empathetic to that.
Yeah? Okay. Certainly.
You can look at a person
and tell that person has obesity or not
because a person, unfortunately,
wears that disease on their body.
You don't need a special screening
to find that out.
And perhaps that makes people
jump to give helpful advice
to those who are suffering
from that disease, obesity.
But trust me, those people know that.
They don't... you don't need
to tell somebody have...
That they have obesity or not.
You may have to tell somebody
whether they have diabetes or not
or high blood pressure or not,
but you don't need to tell somebody
who has obesity or not.
They... that person knows that.
The assumption behind telling somebody
that you have obesity,
the assumption is,
that person is choosing
not to lose weight.
And that is a very wrong assumption.
So simply pointing out
that you have more bodyweight
means nothing
in terms of that person
being able to take
a meaningful corrective action.
210 divided by...
72 squared. Seventy-two squared.
That's, seven... okay.
So that's 28.4.
Okay, let's see right here.
That isn't... on here,
it's such a narrow range.
- Uh-hmm. - For the healthy weight.
Yeah, that's over...
So forty-four, three.
Yeah, that's obese.
Yeah. Okay.
200 divided by...
66 squared.
Squared
okay.
- He is overweight. - Okay.
Get that up there. Okay, the next one.
Okay, okay. Okay, here.
Oh, that's just shocking.
All these people voted for the goal
and most of them
this is interesting. Oh, my gosh.
Yeah. There's only three people
that meet it.
Yeah, and all these people wanted,
like, this bill to happen
and they all themselves
are overweight or obese.
Like, how can you talk?
Yeah. And how could you bully
someone else and being like,
"you don't fit the standards?"
But... Yeah.
We're gonna... we're gonna try to change that.
So we're here at the state house.
We're delivering the fat letters
that we've been working on
to the senators who voted for the bill
and it says their BMI,
it has the same language
as the letter that Maddie received.
And we're gonna go up there and deliver them together
and so just holding them
to the same standards just like they did to us.
Over there. Yeah.
All right. Let's go.
Here it is.
We found it.
Hold this. Oops.
All right. Are you ready?
All right
yeah, I mean, I understand that.
When we were walking on the hallway
like getting ready to, like, deliver it
and one of the senators walked out,
it just... it all hit me at once.
It became real and then when we, like,
went up to her office and we saw her nameplate,
I just...
It felt so wrong because she's a real person.
She wasn't just a face on the Internet.
I mean, she was just like me and you,
and I know I felt and I felt crushed
and horrible by myself.
I felt like I didn't belong anywhere.
And I would never
wanna make anyone feel that way.
I'm sorry that I've... like,
we talked about this and I was so ready to do this.
Yeah. I came here wanting
to do this and I just...
It just made me feel bad
when I received the letter.
I mean, I felt uncomfortable about it, too.
I thought it was mean
but I mean, then again,
I just had in my head holding them
to the same standards,
but I understand.
I'm glad you stepped up.
I just couldn't go through with it.
I feel bad because I was like,
"here, I'll give it to him ."
Like, I was stepping up for you.
But then you're right,
it wasn't the right thing to do.
Well, I mean, I guess you could be
a good bureaucrat because, I mean...
Because I don't have feelings?
Yes, because you don't have any feelings.
Well, actually, hold that thought.
I still have the letters.
So when you leave, I'm going back up there
and I'm giving some senators some letters.
Oh, my gosh. You would make
a perfect bureaucrat.
When I see young people
using their experience,
using their insight
to speak up
and speak out,
it's so wonderful.
And it does give me hope.
It can bring about change
on a personal level
and the other really amazing thing
is that it can bring about change
on a cultural level
and real measurable change.
It has become my...
Sort of my religion that I want
to do something to this field.
Now, I don't... I don't have the arrogance
to think I'm gonna change everything
and cure this global epidemic of obesity
that we have,
but I want to be able to contribute
to whatever extent I can
and that's my, passion.
Let's not make health
one more kind of measuring stick,
one more moral ruler
to beat kids on the head with.
Let's give them room
to be healthy and love themselves.
When you think about the understandings
we've come up with over the last,
you know, 20 years,
the... it's really changed
the way we look at the problem.
And I think we are starting to finally unravel,
many of the pieces
that go into
the obesity epidemic.
We need to launch
the direction of research and approach
that can effectively treat,
control, prevent this disease.
And those solutions can be at society level,
at community level, at individual level,
at genetic level.
So all those together eventually,
we will be able to
conquer this disease.
Hi, sir. Would you like to participate
in our free BMI test?
Okay. That's fine.
Do you think it's uncomfortable?
The lawmakers made us get on the scales
to be weighed for BMI, so we're up here to see
if anyone else would like to do it.
We won't write you a letter.
We're doing free BMI test today.
Oh, good. Totally understand.
You got to have a permit, okay?
Oh, we didn't know. Yes.
We thought it was public. Okay. Are we allowed
to just ask questions? Or I mean out here.
But you'll be able to film and stuff.
So you're doing free hugs?
Oh, yeah,
you got free BMI test? Yeah.
Is that on? Yeah.
It's always on.
Are we allowed to, like, do it
without, like, the sign,
you know, the sign is... No. No.
Not even ask questions? No, ma'am.
There's a free speech area right out there
in front of that fountain. Okay.
Okay? So we'll just head over there.
We just make sure we don't disturb anyone with the truth.
Would you guys like a free BMI?
Free BMI. No.
This is our only spot we're allowed to stand.
At this common area,
we're not allowed to have weapons,
concealed firearms, or free speech.
So there's a person over there
and we want to ask him if he would like
to step on the scales, but we think
he's outside of our free speech zone,
so we might get in trouble.
He's protected.
Hey, Maddie, is free speech our next issue?