Australia’s obesity crisis deepens as adult obesity rate climbs to 32.8%

The proportion of Australian adults who are obese rose to almost one third in 2022-24, according to a government report released on Wednesday.

The report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) said that 32.8 per cent of Australians aged 18 and over were obese in 2022-24, up from 31.3 per cent in 2017-18 and 27.9 % in 2014-15.

Over two thirds of Australian adults, 67.1 per cent, were either obese or overweight in 2022-24 and 13.0 per cent of the adult population was classified as severely obese compared to 11.7% in 2017-18, the report said.

Men were more likely than women to be obese or overweight in 2022-24, but women were more likely to be severely obese, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Overweight and obesity is a significant health challenge facing Australia, with rates increasing over time and affecting people across all age groups," AIHW spokesperson Amy Young said in a media release.

"In recent years, overweight and obesity has also become the leading risk factor contributing to ill health and death in Australia, overtaking tobacco use," Young noted.

Among children aged 5-17, 28.1 per cent were overweight or obese in 2022-24, up from 24.9% in 2017-18.

The AIHW said that 800 million Australian dollars ($553.4 million) was spent nationwide on treating obesity in 2023-24 and a further 10 billion AUD (6.9 billion USD) was spent on health conditions attributed to being overweight or obese.

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease characterized by an excessive accumulation of body fat that increases the risk of severe health conditions. It is officially defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an imbalance of calories consumed versus calories expended, further influenced by genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.

"Except for the headline, no changes have been made to the story, as it has been sourced from IANS."