Australia is today ranked as one of the fattest nations in the developed world. The prevalence of obesity in Australia has more than doubled in the past 20 years.
In Australia, more than 17 million Australians are overweight or obese
More than 4 million Australians are obese
If weight gain continues at current levels, by 2020, 80% of all Australian adults and a third of all children will be overweight or obese
Obesity has overtaken smoking as the leading cause of premature death and illness in Australia
Obesity has become the single biggest threat to public health in Australia
On the basis of present trends we can predict that that by the time they reach the age of 20 our kids will have a shorter life expectancy than earlier generations simply because of obesity
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are 1.9 times as likely as non-indigenous Australians to be obese
Secondary Complications
More than 900,000 Australians suffer from diabetes
Australians reporting heart, stroke and vascular diseases aged 15 years and over were much more likely to be classified as overweight or obese than those without heart, stroke and vascular disease
Health disorders in children like type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease account for approximately quarter of the burden of disease in Australia, and under two –thirds of all deaths. These three diseases often occur together and share risk factors, such as physical inactivity, overweight, obesity and high blood pressure
Cost on Governments (2008)
The overall cost of obesity to Australian society and government was $58.2 billion
Total direct financial cost of obesity in the Australian Community was estimated $8.3 billion
Of the $8.3 billion the government bears over one-third $2.8 billion (34.3% per annum) and the state government 5.1%