Hiking ! Zip-lining ! Rock climbing ! About 30,000 Boy Scouts and 7,000 adults are out in the mountains of southern West Virginia for the National Scouts Jamboree -- and they all had to meet a body mass index cut-off . The Boy Scouts of America mandated that no one -- adult or child -- with a BMI of 40 or above could be accepted into the Jamboree , which is taking place July 15-24 . This standard is not new ; it was in place for the last jamboree as well , said Deron Smith , director of public relations for Boy Scouts of America . `` This policy is not meant to keep anyone out at all , and it 's just to make sure that they 're safe , '' Smith said . `` We offer thousands of summer camp experiences ( that ) do not have this requirement . '' The Boy Scouts ' healthy living initiative has inspired children and adults alike to lose weight , Smith said . The association is encouraging people to live a healthy lifestyle . But that 's not how some see it . The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance , a nonprofit organization , has come out against the Boy Scouts ' BMI policy , saying that the organization `` believes that this decision promotes bias and negative attitudes and furthers the discrimination against boys of larger body size . '' The organization publicly demanded in a statement that the Boy Scouts `` reconsider their discriminatory practices and admit camp attendees NOT based on their physical fitness , NOT based on their body size , but based on their active status as a boy scout . '' Most who could not meet the BMI requirement chose not to apply , Smith said . The organization does not know the number of children impacted . The Boy Scouts have not received any reactions from parents on the BMI issue , he said . For prospective participants who have a slightly lower BMI than 40 , but are still obese , there are also special requirements for the jamboree , according to the Boy Scouts ' website . The jamboree 's medical staff needs a health history , health data and a recommendation from a personal health care provider for children with a BMI between 32 and 39.9 , which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers to be in the `` obese '' range . How to fix health problems with exercise . Even if the personal health care provider says there are n't any contraindications for participating , that does n't necessarily mean a person in this BMI range will be able to participate in the whole program , the Boy Scouts ' website says . People with a BMI of 31.9 or less need a medical recommendation , too , but do n't receive the additional health scrutiny . Dr. Jennifer Shu , a pediatrician in Atlanta and CNN 's Living Well expert , said she found the restrictions on children with a BMI of over 40 to be somewhat discriminatory . `` Any organization can make their own rules , but as a pediatrician I feel like we should be promoting physical activity for everybody , be as inclusive as possible , and only exclude from activity if there 's a physical threat to their health , '' she said . On the other hand , she noted that in some summer programs there are physical activities involving equipment that has a weight or size limit for safety reasons . That should be a restrictive factor for those particular activities , she said , because of the danger to a participant who does n't meet the requirements . BMI is not a perfect indicator of health and fitness ; a BMI of 40 means that the person 's weight is much higher than average for his or her height . Muscle can elevate BMI , so some fit people have higher BMIs than normal . Physicians group labels obesity a disease . A BMI as high as 40 is unlikely to be mostly muscle , Shu said , but if there are health issues preventing that person from participating , she believes a doctor should determine that , rather than an organization making a blanket requirement . Shu does n't look at BMI alone when filling out medical forms for children to participate in summer programs . In addition to evaluating the kids ' health , she asks children how they perceive their own abilities in specific activities , such as rock climbing , and does n't give permission for anything with which the child does n't feel comfortable . The focus of the jamboree is not on the health requirements , Smith said . `` Our motto is : Be prepared , '' Smith said . `` We 're the Boy Scouts . We 've been preparing our participants for years for this . '' Shu offered a different perspective : `` In general , we 'd like to encourage physical activity for everybody . '' In her view , that 's something the Scouts are not honoring . Read more : Opinion : Why bias puts young gays ' health at risk .
No one with a age of 40 and above can participate in camp . Boy Scouts have thousands of other summer camp experiences . Most who could not meet the BMI requirements chose not to apply . Nonprofit wants the Boy Scouts to reconsider BMI policy .