Summary

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called the worldwide rise in obesity a ‘global epidemic’ (WHO 2000). Current levels of obesity in Australia mean that we are not immune from this problem. Analysis of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2001 National Health Survey found that, on the basis of self-reported height and weight, around 16% of Australians aged 18 years and over were obese and a further 34% were overweight but not obese. In contrast, data from the 1989–90 National Health Survey showed that 9% of Australians aged 18 years and over were obese and 30% were overweight but not obese. Thus in only 13 years the proportion of obese Australian adults increased substantially—by almost 80%—and the proportion of overweight but not obese Australian adults increased by 14%. This bulletin documents the evidence from national cross-sectional surveys of overweight and obesity among adults in Australia during the past two decades, puts the size of the problem in perspective, and compares the prevalence in Australia with the prevalence in other developed countries. Future bulletins will focus on trends by sociodemographic and economic factors and on the impact of overweight and obesity in Australia in terms of a number of health-related measures.The World Health Organization (WHO) has called the worldwide rise in obesity a ‘global epidemic’ (WHO 2000). Current levels of obesity in Australia mean that we are not immune from this problem.

Analysis of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2001 National Health Survey found that, on the basis of self-reported height and weight, around 16% of Australians aged 18 years and over were obese and a further 34% were overweight but not obese. In contrast, data from the 1989–90 National Health Survey showed that 9% of Australians aged 18 years and over were obese and 30% were overweight but not obese. Thus in only 13 years the proportion of obese Australian adults increased substantially—by almost 80%—and the proportion of overweight but not obese Australian adults increased by 14%. This bulletin documents the evidence from national cross-sectional surveys of overweight and obesity among adults in Australia during the past two decades, puts the size of the problem in perspective, and compares the prevalence in Australia with the prevalence in other developed countries. Future bulletins will focus on trends by sociodemographic and economic factors and on the impact of overweight and obesity in Australia in terms of a number of health-related measures.