Australia’s Obesity Statistics in 2017

In medical terminology, overweight is a condition where a person’s body mass index (BMI) falls between 25 and 30 while a person with a BMI of 30 or more is termed as obese. Morbid obesity is the condition where a person’s weight interferes with the normal functioning of their body.

Obesity in Australia is one of the biggest public health challenges facing the population. More than half of the adult population has a body weight that poses serious health risks. More than 60% of Australian adults are obese and almost 10% are severely obese. At least a quarter of Australian children and adolescents are obese or overweight.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has called on the Federal Government to implement a multi-faceted strategy to address this issue of obesity that poses great health risks to families and individuals across the nation.

Around 70% of obese adults are subsequently afflicted with one health condition such as heart disease, stroke, musculoskeletal diseases, hypertension, type 2 diabetes or impaired social functioning that increases their health care cost by at least 30%.

In 2012, 22% of Aussies had a cardiovascular disease which is billed as the number 1 cause of death in Australia with 280 Australians developing diabetes each and every single day.

There are more men than women who are at a higher risk of developing obesity at 70.8% compared with 56.3% respectively. This is also being passed down to our children with one in every four children between the ages of 5-17 being overweight or obese.

Infographic and article originally published by Renew Bariatrics.