Michigan to Track Kids' Weight in State Registry

Michigan is getting aggressive on childhood obesity: Under a new initiative, doctors will be required to report kids' body weight and BMI stats to a state registry, the AP reports. The children's identity would remain anonymous, but the move could still trigger concerns about privacy or the government overstepping its bounds. Arkansas ran into similar controversy when it required schools to report such stats in 2003, notes AP, and officials later made it easier for parents to opt out.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to unveil the move tomorrow, with one of the goals being to get doctors to be more proactive about talking to kids at risk. "A lot of families don't even recognize their children are obese," said a University of Michigan pediatrician who specializes in the field. (More Michigan stories.)