Overweight and obesity in Australia: an updated birth cohort analysis
Web report
Last updated:
Topic: Overweight & obesity
Citation
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2020) Overweight and obesity in Australia: an updated birth cohort analysis, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 24 June 2026.
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Overweight and obesity is a major public health issue and a leading risk factor for ill-health in Australia. This report shows that:
- when comparing between birth cohorts at the same age, those born more recently are more likely to be overweight or obese
- the prevalence of overweight and obesity has generally increased with age within most birth cohorts.
- Cat. no: PHE 268
Findings from this report:
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The prevalence of obesity among people born in 1973–1982 increased from 6.5% at age 13–22 to 31% at age 35–44
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For people born in 1963–1972, the median BMI increased from 24.4 kg/m2 at age 23–32 to 28.1 kg/m2 at age 45–54
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For most age groups, those born most recently were more likely to be obese than those born 10 years earlier
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For every age group, the median BMI of those born most recently was higher than that of those born 10 years earlier