One in four Australian adults obese

One in four Australians aged 18 years and over were obese in 2007-08, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Since 1995, the rate of obesity has risen from 19% to 24%, with men gaining weight faster than women.

There were just as many people overweight (37%) as there were people of normal weight (37%) in 2007-08, a slight shift from 1995 when there were more people of normal weight (41%) than there were people overweight (38%).

Rates of obesity were related to a number of environmental and socio-economic conditions: A third of Australian adults living in areas of most disadvantage were obese (33%), almost double that of people in areas of least disadvantage (17%). People who had not completed Year 12 were more likely to be obese (31%) than those who had completed this level of education (19%). More adults in outer regional and remote Australia were obese (31%) than those in major cities (23%).

When data on overweight and obesity are combined, the picture of increasing weight gain in Australians becomes more evident. In 2007-08, 61% of adult Australians were overweight or obese. This rate was higher for men (68%) than women (55%), and higher for older people than younger people. Three-quarters of 65-74 year olds were overweight or obese (75%) compared with 37% of 18-24 year olds.

The consequences of this level of overweight and obesity are increased risks of chronic health conditions, increased health service use and increased mortality.

(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics)

More information

For more information on obesity, health and social issues, and methods of weight loss, as well as some useful tools, see Obesity and Weight Loss.

For more information on living with obesity, including discussing obesity with friends or loved ones, bullying and obesity in children, obesity and its cost on the workplace and links between obesity and pain, sexuality, fertility and depression, see Living with Obesity.