Health groups welcome survey to target childhood obesity

The announcement today of a jointly funded nutrition and physical activity survey of Australian children is key to addressing a major future increase in preventable disease burden, according to an alliance of non-government health promotion organisations.

Terry Slevin, from the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance*, said research published over the past three to four years in NSW and Victoria showed around one in four Australian children was obese or overweight, but the most recent national data on Australians’ eating habits was compiled in 1995, while national physical activity data was more than 20 years old. “Obesity has been rapidly increasing in Australia, particularly among children. This threatens to impose a major disease burden over the next three to four decades, when healthcare services will already be stretched by population ageing,” Mr Slevin said.”If we are to develop programs to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic, we need a clearer picture of what Australian children are eating and drinking, and their physical activity habits.””We welcome the joint survey program, and urge all invited families to participate in the survey. The information they provide will inform targeted measures to help reduce the childhood obesity epidemic and inform other approaches to improve Australia’s health.”*The Australia Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance comprises The Cancer Council Australia, Diabetes Australia, Kidney Health Australia, the National Heart Foundation of Australia and the National Stroke Foundation.(Source: Cancer Council of Australia: February 2007.)