CANBERRA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- 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 percent of Australians aged 18 and over were obese in 2022-24, up from 31.3 percent in 2017-18 and 27.9 percent in 2014-15.
Over two thirds of Australian adults, 67.1 percent, were either obese or overweight in 2022-24 and 13.0 percent of the adult population was classified as severely obese compared to 11.7 percent 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.
"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 percent were overweight or obese in 2022-24, up from 24.9 percent in 2017-18.
The AIHW said that 800 million Australian dollars (553.4 million U.S. dollars) 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. Enditem
京公网安备 11010802027341号