What weight tells us about our health

Skinfold tests were once a staple of AFL fitness assessments, but are now banned for junior athletes. Is this a sign footballers have ‘gone soft’, or is there good reason for it?

The AFL confirmed to clubs last week they would not be publishing weights of potential draft picks and skin fold testing would stop for elite juniors. It has sparked discussion again.

It turns out that, although such measurements are important, waist circumference and ratio to height are not the whole story when it comes to your risk of disease and death.

From echoing societal shifts to changing the way the game is played, the heights of players at the top level of Australian Football have been a crucial part of footy's history.

Got thrown out of my local park after trying to arrange the squirrels by height.

Guess they didn't like me critter sizing.

Researchers who have studied thousands of children suggest a new measure could be more accurate.  waist-to-height ratio.

The OZ2000 anthropometry research project was led by Tim Ackland and Deb Kerr, with Patria Hume leading a visiting team of NZ anthropometrists. This video has footage of the athletes we measured as well as photos of the anthropometry team in action. It was a great experience. Thanks for the vision Tim and Deb.

Over past three decades. obesity rates increased fourfold among children and doubled among adults

Finnair says trial is voluntary and will help estimate weight of planes’ cargo before takeoff

People over 65 make up a sizable portion of Americans on GLP-1 drugs. That might be trouble.

If you’ve been paying attention to health news recently, you may have noticed a subtle but real shift in the way society discusses bodyweight. It started around 10 years ago with the body positivity movement, the idea that we should love our bodies at any size. It was around the same time that the American Medical Association classified obesity as a disease. The medical community was divided, with some believing the classification would help reduce stigma, while others argued it pathologized larger bodies.

Comments about our looks from our loved ones and friends can cause lifelong insecurities. How can we teach kids to feel confident about their bodies instead?

Here are five ways to try and avoid young people developing a negative body image.

Written and presented by Melissa Hogenboom.

The outdated, much-maligned health measure now determines who gets obesity drugs—and who doesn’t.

The Napoleon Complex - aka 'small man syndrome' - suggests short men are overly aggressive. But is it true? And was Napoleon himself even short? It seems we may have been spun a neat web of lies, smears, and propaganda.

Film by Max Tobin

Wheelchair users find it near-impossible to find accessible scales and keep check of their weight.

Healthcare professionals, from advanced sports dieticians to general practitioners, are increasingly trading a focus on weight for other, more robust health measures

Devised almost 200 years ago, body mass index is used as a marker of health by many, yet called useless by others. What’s the truth?

Excess fat around your middle can mean a higher risk of disease later in life. The good news is, there are several ways to combat it – and only one is giving up beer

Body mass index has long been a standard, but controversial, measurement of weight and health.

Where you fall on the body mass index, or BMI, scale says a lot about your risk for health problems, doctors say. But many people argue the scale is imprecise and judgmental.

A new study found taller, leaner marathoners with long limbs tended to excel in races in warmer regions, and runners with stockier builds and shorter limbs fared better in colder climates.

Pervasive myths about adolescent weight gain worry parents and can lead to real harm if adults don't adjust their messages to tweens and teens.

BMI is the best screening measure for obesity, but body fat distribution affects the risk of associated diseases.

For the vertically gifted, every day of the year means standing out. But March can be particularly maddening.