CSH Assistant Darlene Bailey (left) and School Nurse Julie Selvey (right) screened several Marshall Elementary School students.
 

The Marshall County Coordinated School Health Program recently conducted health screenings for body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure at all schools in the county.  The students screened were in grades kindergarten, second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth.

BMI is a number calculated from a child's weight and height. BMI, a reliable indicator of body fatness for most children and teens, does not measure body fat directly. Additionally, BMI is an inexpensive and easy-to-perform method of screening for weight categories that may lead to health problems. For children and teens, BMI is age- and sex-specific and is often referred to as BMI-for-age.

The results from the voluntary screenings will be forwarded to the Tennessee Department of Education in the Office of Coordinated School Health for tabulation. Any student whose BMI is out of the normal range will be contacted confidentially by the Marshall County Coordinated School Health Program. Any student whose blood pressure is out of the normal range will have their blood pressure taken a second time by the school nurse. If the two subsequent blood pressure readings are high or low for that student's age, his/her parent/guardian will be notified at that time.

"This was a great opportunity to gather invaluable information to determine the well-being of our county's children and to plan future health initiatives based on the findings," stated Heather Lodari, Coordinator of the School Health Program.

The Marshall County Coordinated School Health Program would like to thank the following individuals for assisting during the health screenings: April Atkisson, Marie Webb, Hope Fleming, Dana Humphrey, Polly Keesling, Beth Leftwich, Kaye Endsley, Dr. Denise Werner, Betty Jane Arnold, Beth Chunn, J.D. Schwartz, Chesley Newton, Pat Jent, Virginia Fagan, Wanda Symons, Lawrence Symons, David Webb, Carl Fagan, Margaret Voynar, Rebecca Byrd, Dr. Devi Newcomb, Robbie Wilson, Jeffrey Skinner, Malia Rich, Bob Davis, Zerene Mayes, Karen Oberlander, Julie Selvey, Leisa Liggett, Kimberly Greer, Judy Beamer Smith, Tammy Alderman, Andrea McNabb, Jeffrey S. Blocker, Misty Dawn Jett, Terri Pierce, and Holly Barnes.

In addition to the volunteers, Lodari would like to express her appreciation to all the principals who without their assistance and cooperation the health screenings would not have gone as smoothly as they did.