Kids Can Now Monitor Weight and Fat at School

To help kids monitor their weight and body fat, computerized kiosks designed by IBM will be going into 10 to 15 high schools around the country early in the new year. The idea is to have 150 kiosks in place by mid 2002. The IBM kiosks will enable teens to weigh themselves at school and also compute their percentage of body fat and lean tissue. The information will be stored on a computer server at the school. At some point, kids may be able to get remote access to their information. The kiosks, costing $200,000 each, are part of an arrangement with the National School Fitness Foundation, which donates fitness equipment to schools. The idea is to help kids track how well they're doing.

Stephanie Oakes is a fitness correspondent for Discovery Health Channel, a contributing editor for USA Weekend Magazine and the LA Times, and appears on NBC's 'Today in New York'. She can be reached at soakes@beststuff.com.