You are here:

  • Print
Trend indicator key:    Favourable    Unfavourable    No change    No trend data    No data

Overweight and obesity in children

There is no clear trend for this indicator  

In 2007–08, 23.1% of children aged 5–17 years were overweight or obese. Children who are overweight or obese can experience health and psychological problems, and are also more likely to be overweight or obese in adulthood.

Although data are not available to confirm trends in excess body weight, when compared to estimates from the 1995 National Nutrition Survey, and increase in proportions of overweight or obese children is evident.

  • More information about overweight and obesity

    • Overweight and obesity in adults

    There is no clear trend for this indicator  

    Adults who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of developing chronic conditions. In 2007–08, 61.2% of adults were overweight or obese. The highest proportions of obese males and females were in the 55–64 age group

    Self-reported data, which usually under-estimates excess body weight, indicates that proportion of overweight and obesity have increased over time.

    Daily smoking

    There is a favourable trend for this indicator  

    Tobacco smoking is the single most preventable cause of ill health and death in Australia. The proportion of people aged 18 years and over who smoke daily is 17.5%.

    Line graph shows the proportion of daily smokers, male and female, has decreased over time. Higher proportions of males smoke on a daily basis than females – about 27% of males in 1991 compared to less than 25% of females – although this dropped to 20% for males and 15% for females in 2007.

    Higher proportions of males smoke on a daily basis than do females. For both males and females, rates of daily smoking have decreased over time.

    Low birthweight

    There is no change in the trend for this indicator
    • (proportion of live births that were less than 2,500g birthweight)

    Birthweight is a key indicator of infant health. Low birthweight increases the risk of ill health and death for a baby, as well as increasing the likelihood of ill health during childhood and adulthood.

    In 2007, 6.2% of all live born babies weighed less than 2,500 grams. Rates of low birthweight have remained stable over the decade, varying between 6.1% and 6.4%. Rates for low birthweight for babies born to Indigenous mothers also remained relatively stable over time, but are generally higher than rates for babies born to non-Indigenous mothers, 12.5% compared with 5.9%.

    High blood pressure

    There is no clear trend for this indicator  

    High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is a risk factor for many chronic diseases, and is often considered a chronic disease in its own right. The preferred method for collecting information about high blood pressure is through actual measurement, rather than through self-reports.

    Bar chart shows the percentage of males and females with high blood pressure, by age group, in 1999-2000. Across all age groups, males had slightly higher blood pressure than females, and this increased with age.

    The most recent data (based on actual measurements) are from the 1999–2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study. They indicated that about 30% of adults aged 25 or more had high blood pressure. Rates for high blood pressure increased with age.

    Trend information based on self-reports indicates that there was little change in the rates of high blood pressure over time.

    High blood cholesterol

    There is no clear trend for this indicator  

    High blood cholesterol is a risk factor for diabetes-related complications, ischaemic heart disease and stroke.

    The preferred method for collecting information about cholesterol levels is through measurement (by taking blood samples and analysing them in laboratories). The most recent data (based on actual measurements) are from the 1999–2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study.

    Bar chart shows the percentage of males and females with high blood cholesterol, by age group, in 1999-2000. Rates of total high cholesterol differed by sex and age group – males had the highest rates of total blood cholesterol in the 55-64 year age group (at about 60%) and females in the 65-74 year age group (over 70%).

    In 1999–2000, half of Australians aged 25 years or older had high cholesterol. Rates of total high cholesterol differed by sex and age group, for males the highest rates were in the 45–64 year group, whereas for females, those aged 65–74 had the highest levels.

    People with diabetes who have a HbA1C level greater than 7%

    There is no clear trend for this indicator  

    This indicator is designed to measure one component of the annual cycle of care for managing diabetes. The HbA1C is a blood test which is used to assess how well blood glucose has been controlled. Preventing HbA1C levels becoming high can delay or prevent some complications of diabetes, such as eye, kidney and nerve disease.

    Currently there are no national data to report against this indicator. It is expected that national data for HbA1C will be available after the 2011–13 Australian Health Survey.

    Waist circumference

    There is no clear trend for this indicator  

    Waist circumference is a measure of central obesity. It is sometimes considered a better indicator for a range of health problems such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers. In 2007–08, 59% of adults had a waist circumference that put them at a heightened risk for health problems, and 36% had a waist circumference that put them at a substantially increased risk.

    Waist measurements increase with age for both males and females, higher proportions of females than males have waist measurements indicating substantially increased risk at each age group.

    Smoking in pregnancy

    There is a favourable trend for this indicator  

    Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of poor outcomes for the infant, such as low birthweight and mortality. It also increases the monther's risk of spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy and other obstetric complications.

    Line graph shows the percentage of mothers who smoked during pregnancy has decreased over time – from nearly 20% in 2001 to less than 17% in 2007.

    In 2007, 16.6% of mothers reported smoking while pregnancy. The highest rates of smoking during pregnancy are for younger mothers, that is those aged less than 20 years. Smoking during pregnancy also varies by the mother's Indigenous status, with 52% of Indigenous mothers smoking compared with 15% of non-Indigenous mothers.

     

    Smoking in young people

    There is no clear trend for this indicator  

    This indicator relates to the prevalence of smoking in young people, aged 12–17, however data for this total age group has only been collected for two surveys. Trend data for people aged 14–17 shows that daily smoking is reducing over time.

    Daily smoking becomes more prevalent with age, more young people aged 16–17 years smoke than those aged 15 or less.

    Insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption

    There is no clear overall trend for these indicators  

    The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that both adults and children eat plenty of vegetables and fruits.

    The recommended number of daily servings of fruit and vegetables for adults is 2 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables. Results from the 2007–08 National Health Survey show that most people do not consume enough fruit or vegetables.

    Breastfeeding

    There is no clear trend for this indicator
    • (proportion of infants exclusively breastfed at 4 months of age and at 6 months of age)

    The benefits of breastfeeding exists for both the mother and the infant. Exclusive breastfeeding is where the infant receives only breastmilk, and no other food or drink, including water.

    Bar chart shows the percentage of infants who were predominantly breastfed or complementary breastfed at birth, 4 months and 6 months of age. About 90% of infants were predominantly breastfed at birth, and this reduced to 46% at 4 months, and 14% at 6 months. Complementary breastfeeding increased with the age of the infant.

    At the time reporting against this indicator, there were no data to allow exclusive breastfeeding to be measured in Australia.

    The latest national data shows that at birth, about 90% of infants are predominantly breastfed. This reduces to 46% at 4 months, and 14% at 6 months. Complementary breastfeeding (where the infant receives other forms of food or liquids in addition to breast milk) increases with the age of the infant.

    Risky alcohol consumption

    There is no change in the trend for this indicator  

    The statistics used for risky alcohol consumption are based on risk to health in the long term and their relationship to chronic disease. The consumption of excessive levels of alcohol on a regular basis contributes to the development of chronic conditions such as liver disease, some cancers, problems with oral health and cardiovascular disease.

    Bar chart shows the percentage of males and females who consumed alcohol at risky levels, by age group. Up until 49 years, drinking at risky levels was more common among females. For both males and females, drinking at risky levels was most common in the 20-29 year age group (at around 16%).

    In 2007, 10.3% of persons aged 14 or over drank alcohol at levels considered to be risk for long-term health. For both males and females, drinking at risky levels is more common in the 20–29 age group.

    Physical inactivity

    There is no clear trend for this indicator  

    Physical activity is beneficial for preventing and managing chronic disease, and can help with maintaining a health body weight and a healthy musculoskeletal system. The National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians recommend that, to achieve benefits to health, a person should participate in 30 minutes of at least moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week. This is generally interpreted as 30 minutes on at least 5 days of the week.

    Bar chart shows the percentage of males and females who were not active enough to confer a health benefit, by age group. Females were slightly more likely to be not active enough, compared to males.

    In 2007–08, 60% of adults were not active enough to confer a health benefit. Females were slightly more likely to be not active enough compared with males.