Children to be weighed before beginning school

The Age, Natasha Wallace, 12 December 2007; The Australian, Adam Cresswell and Sanna Trad, 12 December 2007; The Herald Sun, Kate Sikora, 12 December 2007

In a bid to crack down on obesity, children as young as four-years-of-age will be weighed before they begin school. From 2009, children starting school will have their hearing, eye sight and body mass index checked by doctors to ensure they have a healthy start to their education.

The Herald Sun has reported that the Healthy Kids Check programme will not be mandatory, but that parents will receive rebates of up to $45 to have their children examined by doctors prior to starting school. In addition, all state governments will be required to provide policies each year that outline how they plan to tackle major health concerns such as obesity and alcohol and tobacco consumption.

Federal Health Minister, Ms Nicola Roxon, has said that the Federal government will raise obesity to the ‘same status’ as chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and cancer. She also believes that obesity has become a national responsibility that needs government assistance. ‘One in four Australian children, and one in two adults, are already overweight or obese, and we need to prevent this trend from becoming worse,’ Ms Roxon said.

Even though the programme was welcomed by some nutritionists and health experts at the Tackling Childhood Obesity in Australia summit held in Sydney, other health experts and parents claim that the government’s plan is going too far.

According to The Herald Sun, obesity and other associated health problems cost Australia $21 billion a year. Experts also believe that it will be another 30 years before results will be seen.

Ms Roxon believes that the Healthy Kids Check programme will ‘help to ensure all four-year-olds are healthy, fit and ready to learn when they start primary school’. The government also plans to develop and distribute the Healthy Habits for Life guide to offer parents ‘practical tips’ for dealing with obesity.

 

 

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