QIM 3: Proportion of regular clients with a current height and weight classification recorded in their GP record and a derived BMI result
In 2017–18, two-thirds (67.0%) of Australian adults aged 18 years and over were overweight or obese (12.5 million people) (ABS 2021). Being overweight, obese or underweight is associated with higher rates of morbidity, and overweight and obesity is a major public health issue in Australia. Overweight and obesity are risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, osteoarthritis, some cancers and gallbladder disease. Being overweight or obese is also associated with certain psychosocial problems, functional limitations and disabilities. On the other hand, being underweight may cause malnourishment and lead to compromised immune function, respiratory disease, digestive diseases, cancer and osteoporosis.
Other sources of relevant data
Data on measured height, weight and BMI are captured in the National Health Survey (NHS) conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This indicator contains 2 parts, assessing the proportion of regular clients 15 years of age and older who:
- QIM 3a: had a height and weight measurement recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months, from which a Body Mass Index (BMI) was derived.
- QIM 3b: had their BMI classified as either underweight, healthy, overweight or obese derived from the current height and weight recorded in their GP record.
QIM 3a: Regional proportions
As of July 2022, nationally, 21.1% of regular clients aged 15 years and over had their height and weight measurements recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months. This varied from 14.8 to 43.8% across PHNs.