Health minister does not support call for school weigh-ins

Queensland is not in support of calls for students to be weighed in schools to a bid to combat obesity, with Health Minister Shannon Fentiman saying GPs are best placed to give advice to families.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman. Picture: Liam Kidston

Queensland is not in support of the call by nurses to weigh children at school in the fight against obesity, with the health minister emphasising their mental health is too important.

Following the controversial recommendation by the Australian College of Nurses that pupils should step on the scales and be measured every two years using longitudinal mapping on WHO-recommended growth charts, Shannon Fentiman told The Courier-Mail general practitioners are best placed to advise families about weight.

“We know obesity is a growing challenge facing the community but so too is the mental health of young people. Given the increased pressures young people are facing and the increases in issues like eating disorders, these are discussions that are best had with the knowledge of a child’s broader health history,” Ms Fentiman said.

“Our GPs do a great job and are well-placed to provide specific advice to families about what’s best for them. Our GPs in Schools program is helping break down any barriers

Queensland children have in seeing a GP, and is currently being expanded to schools right around the state,” she said.

The latest Chief Health Officer’s report shows that in 2022 about one-quarter of children living in Queensland were overweight, and 8 per cent obese. The prevalence of being overweight and obesity in Queensland children 5 to 17 years is relatively high compared to other Australian states and has remained about the same for almost a decade.

Eating Disorders Families Australia director Jane Rowan said recent curriculum changes were not aligned with the advice from the Australian College of Nursing.

“Over 340 references to body mass index (BMI), weight, calories, healthier, class surveys,

food and diet were removed or replaced from the Australian Curriculum in November 2023.

“It is disappointing to see a step backwards recommended.”

EDA members are concerned that this advice will exacerbate weight stigma, encourage disordered eating and foster body dissatisfaction — key risk factors in the development of an eating disorder.

They warn that shaming people for their weight does not result in increased health behaviours or weight loss, and experiencing weight stigma can lead to adverse health consequences, such as binge eating, increased food consumption, avoidance of physical activity, physiological stress, weight gain, and impaired weight loss outcomes.

Eating disorders in young people aged 10-19 have increased by 86 per cent since 2012 and

research and lived experience insights consistently underscore the damaging impact of

being weighed at school.