Facts & Figures

• The rate of overweight and obesity has almost doubled amongst Australian adults over the last two decades with Australia now being ranked as one of the fattest developed nations, closely following USA rates.

• 67% of adult men and 52% of women were overweight or obese in 2000, or around 7 million Australian adults. Males are more likely than females to be overweight, with almost half (48%) of adult males estimated to be overweight compared to 30% of females. The levels of obesity are higher in females, with 22% of females estimated to be obese compared to 19% of males.

• In just over 10 years, the proportion of Australian adults who were overweight or obese increased by around 25%. If this trend continues, it is estimated that at least 60% of Australians aged 18 years and over will be overweight or obese by 2010, and that this will increase to 65% by 2020.

• It is estimated that 20 to 25% of Australian children are either overweight or obese. In the ten year period 1985 to 1995, the combined level of overweight and obesity in children more than doubled while the level of obesity approximately tripled in all age groups and for both sexes.

• Aside from genetic factors, overweight and obesity is caused by an energy imbalance, where energy intake exceeds energy expenditure over a considerable period of time.

• The health problems and consequences of obesity are many and varied, including musculoskeletal problems, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension to name a few. Many of these are often preventable through a healthy and active lifestyle.

• The most important long-term consequence of childhood obesity is its persistence into adulthood. Obesity is more likely to persist when its onset is in late childhood or adolescence and where children have obese parents. Problems associated with excess weight in children and adolescence include such things as heat intolerance, breathlessness on exertion, tiredness, and flat feet.

• Australians weigh more than ever and are getting fatter around the middle, with 3.3 million now classified as obese and a further 5.6 million as overweight.

• The average Australian now weighs six to seven kilograms more than someone of the same age and sex 20 years ago.

• People tended to overestimate their height and underestimated weight. The raw self-reported figure shows 2.4 million Aussies as obese, but it is estimated that the actual figure is 3.3 million. A further 5.6 million were overweight.

• While Australians’ average weight has increased, so have our waistlines. In 2000, 21% of men and 28% of women were “abdominally obese’’. This compared with 1989, when 14% of men and 16% of women were abdominally obese.

• Between 1989 and 2001, the average weight of Australians increased from 70.1kg to 74.3kg. In 2001, 31% of adults were overweight and 15% were obese, making a total of more than 6.5 million people.

• The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s snapshot of the nation’s health showed 43% of the population were physically inactive, unable to find at least 30 minutes a day to walk or climb stairs, a figure that had grown significantly from the previous biennial survey.

• Between 1985 and 1995, amongst children aged 7-15, the prevalence of overweight children almost doubled and obesity more than tripled. Over the same period, intake of energy-dense foods increased – cakes/biscuits (46% increase), soft drinks (30-50% increase), confectionary (40-56% increase), sugar products and dishes (60-136% increase).

• Boys watched the most television, at an average of 15.7 hours a week, with girls clocking up an average of 14.8 hours. However, both groups’ average body mass increased with the hours of television they watched.

• Children who watched more than 30 hours of television a week were almost four times as likely to be overweight or obese, but this ratio fell to 1.5 when variables such as food intake and the body mass of their parents were accounted for.

• In 2000, 300 million adults worldwide were obese, up from 200 million in 1995.

• Almost one in five Australian adults is actively trying to lose weight.

• 60% of the Australian population is now obese or overweight.

• Physical inactivity ranks second only to tobacco smoking in terms of the burden of disease from risk factors in Australia. It accounts for 6% (second highest burden for men) of the total burden of disease and injury among males and 8% among females (highest burden for women).

• The accumulation of at least 30 minutes of at least moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week (interpreted as 5 days) is the minimum amount required to achieve a health benefit. This equates to participation in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.

• Between 1997 and 2000, rates of physical inactivity among Australians increased significantly from 38% in 1997 to around 43% in 1999 and 2000.