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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Are general practitioners equipped to detect child overweight/obesity? Survey and audit
Bibi Gerner1, Zoe McCallum, Jane Sheehan
1Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Department of Paediatrics, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Australia. bibi.gerner@mcri.edu.au
Insights
General practitioners (GPs) rarely weigh, measure, or calculate body mass index (BMI) for children, and their equipment is often inaccurate. This practice falls short of guidelines, risking misclassification of children's weight status.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- General Practice
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern.
- Accurate anthropometric measurements are crucial for monitoring child growth and identifying weight status.
- General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in primary care for children's health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the routine anthropometric practices of GPs for children aged 5-10 years.
- To assess the accuracy and accessibility of anthropometric equipment used by GPs.
- To compare current GP practices with national guidelines for child health monitoring.
Main Methods:
- A survey of 34 GPs in Melbourne, Australia, assessed routine anthropometric practices.
- Practice audits evaluated the accuracy and accessibility of weighing scales and stadiometers.
- Data were collected on equipment calibration and servicing.
Main Results:
- Only 44% of GPs regularly weighed children, and 38% measured height; only one calculated body mass index (BMI).
- Formal training in child anthropometry and equipment servicing was infrequent.
- Audited equipment showed inaccuracies in height and weight measurements, potentially leading to misclassification.
Conclusions:
- GP practices for child anthropometry do not meet national guidelines for regular monitoring.
- Inaccurate and variable anthropometric equipment can lead to significant misclassification of children's weight status.
- Improved training and equipment calibration are necessary to ensure accurate child health assessments in primary care.
Aim:
To ascertain the extent to which general practitioners (GPs) routinely weigh, measure and calculate body mass index (BMI) in children, and to assess the accuracy and accessibility of their anthropometric equipment.
Methods:
A convenience sample of 34 GPs from 29 primary care family medical practices in Melbourne, Australia, completed a questionnaire regarding their routine anthropometric practice for 5-10-year-old children and perceived role in managing childhood overweight and obesity. Practice audits (April-June 2002) assessed the accuracy and accessibility of anthropometric equipment.
Results:
Forty-four per cent of GPs reported regularly weighing children; 38% regularly measured children's height. Only one regularly calculated children's BMI. Formal training in child anthropometry and servicing of anthropometric equipment was rare. The majority of equipment was accessible. Stadiometers on average measured the height of a 'short' pole (true height 92.68 cm) as 92.52 cm (SD = 0.8), and measured the height of a 'tall' pole (true height 157.64 cm) as 157.55 cm (SD = 0.9). On average, calibration weights of 20 kg and 80 kg were recorded as 19.7 kg (SD = 0.6) and 79.2 kg (SD = 1.5) respectively. Despite these shortcomings, these GPs generally felt they played a key role in managing overweight in children.
Conclusions:
Self-reported practice by these GPs falls well short of 2003 National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines recommending bi-annual measuring of all children in the primary care setting. The variability of anthropometric equipment audited could result in widely discrepant BMI values, leading to serious misclassification of many children's weight status.
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