Overweight and obesity is impacting more Australians over the decades, and the underlying causes are varied and complex, according to a new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report.
The AIHW's new Overweight and obesity report looks at how many Australians are living with overweight or obesity, how rates differ between groups of people, and how these rates have changed over time. It also examines the impact on the health system, including costs, hospital admissions and deaths.
Around 2 in 3 (67% or 13 million) adults and 1 in 4 (27% or 1.4 million) children aged 2-17 were living with overweight or obesity in Australia in 2022-24.
'Overweight and obesity is a significant health challenge facing Australia, with rates increasing over time and affecting people across all age groups,' said AIHW spokesperson Amy Young.
'In recent years, overweight and obesity has also become the leading risk factor contributing to ill health and death in Australia, overtaking tobacco use.'
The proportion of adults living with overweight or obesity in Australia increased from 56% to 67% between 1995 and 2017-18 but remained stable through to 2022-24. The increase was largely driven by a rise in adults living with obesity, which grew from 19% to 33% over the same period.
Abdominal obesity (measured by waist circumference) among Australian adults has almost doubled over time from 25% to 48% between 1995 and 2022-24.
'The causes of overweight and obesity are complex,' Ms Young said.
'Many of the factors that drive overweight and obesity are outside an individual's control, including the environments people live in.'
'These factors often disproportionately affect those in lower socioeconomic areas, which contributes to ongoing health inequities.'
'The misconception that body weight is simply a matter of personal responsibility overlooks the broader social and environmental drivers of obesity.'
In 2023-24, almost $800 million was spent on treating obesity and a further $10 billion was for health conditions attributed to overweight (including obesity).
New birth cohort analysis: Identifying groups particularly at risk
Australians born more recently were more likely to be living with obesity than those born in earlier birth cohorts, when compared at the same age.
Almost 10 additional adults in every 100 aged 45-54 were living with abdominal obesity in 2022-24 (55%) compared with those of the same age a decade earlier in 2011-12 (46%).
An additional 9 in every 100 adults aged 25-34 were living with abdominal obesity compared with earlier cohorts (36% in 2022-24 compared with 27% in 2011-12).
'Obesity is not only becoming more common - it's starting earlier and affecting more people over their lifetime,' Ms Young said.
'A whole-of-system approach - including healthier environments and improved access to care - will be critical to reversing current trends.'
'The National Obesity Strategy 2022-2032 and the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030 highlight that lasting change will come from a whole-of-system approach that prioritises prevention and supports early intervention and equitable access to appropriate treatment for those who need it.'
The report draws on a range of national data sources, including headline prevalence estimates from the ABS 2022-24 National Health Measures Survey, long-term trends from successive national health surveys and health expenditure data from the AIHW.
