A qualitative investigation of parents' perceptions about BMI measurements, school-based BMI screening programs, and BMI report cards

School-based body mass index (BMI) screenings can help parents make informed decisions about their child's health, but schools have questioned parents' understanding of and attitudes about BMI measures and report cards. To learn parents'/guardians' perceptions of BMI measurements, screening programs, and report cards, three focus groups were conducted (n = 20) with parents/guardians from a large urban school district. Participants were asked to share their perceptions before and after receiving education about BMI measurements and screening programs. Pre-education, many parents/guardians had heard of the BMI; knew it was associated with weight; thought it was similar to body fat percentage; believed screening programs were intended to track students' weights and monitor eating habits; and were concerned that their child's waist would be measured, causing embarrassment or discomfort. Post-education, most participants indicated that they did not object to the screening programs, but would have without education about why and how BMI measurements are taken. They also voiced concerns about lack of prior notice or permission for screenings, confidentiality of results and measurements, and the need for schools to serve healthier food. Some of these findings support those of other qualitative studies of parents' concerns about BMI screenings, but no previous studies compared parents' perceptions of screening programs pre-/post- education. The results reinforce that efforts by school districts to explain to parents/guardians what BMI measurements are, as well as why and how they are taken, can increase parents' confidence in the schools and level of comfort with BMI screening programs and report cards.