A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has condemned the Rudd federal government's proposal to introduce Body Mass Index (BMI) tests for four-year-old children as a measure to reduce levels of national obesity.Associate Professor Michael Gard, from the School of Human Movement Studies at CSU’s Bathurst Campus, claims the government’s policy is ill-conceived, simplistic and potentially counterproductive.
“This sounds like policy which is designed to give the impression of action. The problem is that the effectiveness and potential dangers have not been thought through,” Professor Gard said.
“There is no evidence that it will do any good, but there is some evidence that a percentage of parents who find out their child is technically overweight/obese will restrict their child's dietary intake in a way that doctors say is unsafe.
“There is good evidence that of those students who are told they are overweight – or believe themselves to be – a percentage will embark on unhealthy practices, and that children who diet put on more weight than children who don't diet.
“Even worse, because of the vagaries of the BMI, it is absolutely inevitable that a percentage of children will be incorrectly classified as overweight, even by general practitioners (GPs).
“But even in a perfect world in which GPs never make a mistake, it is important to remember that there is still a lack of effective programs and services for children classified as overweight and obese.
“It is not at all clear what parents will do with the information if their child is classified as obese. Do they just walk away with the bad news and some glossy literature on healthy living?
“We simply cannot control how children themselves will process this new information about their weight status. But we do know that some children will start dieting and exercising in unhealthy ways.
“Will a BMI test place unnecessary stress on children and parents? What penalties or incentives does the government propose for four year olds and their parents? And what about ethnic differences in BMI? Will certain ethnic groups, for example, be penalised or further stigmatised?
“At the moment in the UK, BMI data is collected for statistical and planning purposes. Parents aren't told results but can find out if they want to know and must be told that it’s happening.
Social
Explore the world of social