title: BMI of Australian general practice patients.
abstract: The BEACH program, a continuous national study of general practice activity in Australia, gathers height and weight details of patients at 40% of recorded encounters, enabling their body mass index to be calculated. Details are self reported by the patients, or by their carer in the case of young children, and recorded by the general practitioner at the encounter. This synopsis provides a backdrop against which the articles in this issue of Australian Family Physician can be further considered.
authors.affiliation: AIHW Australian GP Statistics & Classification Centre, University of Sydney, New South Wales.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valenti
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Britt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000502:physiology*