The Morrison Government, as part of the World Obesity Day (4 March 2022), launched Australia’s first National Obesity Strategy, which aims at helping address the overweight and obesity issue across the nation.
The strategy has two ambitious goals, to halt the rise and reverse the trend in the prevalence of obesity in adults and reduce overweight and obesity in children and adolescents by at least 5% by 2030.
Obesity is a world-wide issue that contributes to physical, psychological and metabolic health problems. Australia has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world, in 2017-19 Australia ranked fifth among OECD countries with one third (31%) of Australian adults living with obesity. [1] About 14 million Australians are living with overweight or obesity [2] – that’s 2 in every 3 adults, and 1 in 4 children. [2]
Australia has committed to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global target to halt the rise in overweight and obesity. [3] This focus presents us with an important opportunity to make significant improvements in the lives of Australians.
The Strategy highlights what governments and other stakeholders can do to make a difference. While government leadership is critical, governments can’t do it alone. Government, industry, the community, and individuals also need to take action, we must all work together on integrated actions that complement each other.
References
[1] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Health at a Glance 2017: OECD Indicators (Overweight and obesity among adults) Paris: OECD Publishing 2017.
[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey: first results, 2017-18. Canberra ACT: ABS;2019. Cat. No. 4363.0.55.001.
[3] World Health Organization. Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO;2013.