Importance Of Obesity In Australia

Worldwide obesity ratio is dramatically increased over few years. Many of the developed countries such as America, Europe, Australia people were suffering with obesity epidemic. Especially 60% of Australians are suffers from overweight and obesity. The reasons for obesity are economic influences poor diet, physical inactivity. The main cause of obesity is to consume more food than required. Obesity reduced the quality of life, lower the life expectancy and also effects on labor productivity. Some people assume that higher living standard reduces the obesity ratio by providing better health care and accessing healthy food. However, the effect of modernization many people had higher living standards. People who had high living

Obesity carries many baggage throughout an obese person’s life and affects many Australian’s throughout the state. In current times, obesity in Australia has made its way to being one of nine National Health Priority Areas that was brought to the attention of Australian governments. The problems with obesity is that it carries many health conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, renal dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, cognitive impairment and depression, cancer, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and osteoarthritis. Access Economics (2008) reported various estimates on obesity-related burdens in Australia. Obesity-related burdens comprises of cardiovascular disease by 21% with a population of 644,843, 24% of type 2 diabetes with a population of 242,033,

There is what has been referred to as "obesity epidemic" in Australia today. This trend affects everyone it the society; whether it be directly or indirectly. One particular concern within the "at risk" segment is children. The young in our society do not have the capacity, either mentally or the physical resources, to make their own informed decisions about their dietary consumption. Children are generally dependent upon their parents or institutions to provide them with the foods that they consume. Therefore, this group above all others deserves some level of protection against a lifestyle that can potentially have negative consequences for their health that can stay with them for a lifetime.

Childhood obesity is becoming more prevalent in the western world as statistics show that in Australia, one quarter of children are either overweight or obese. (Australian Bureau of statistics)

“During the past two decades, the prevalence of obesity in children has risen greatly worldwide. Obesity in childhood causes a wide range of serious complications, and increases the risk of premature illness and death later in life, raising public-health concerns.” (Ebbeling, Pawlak & Ludwig, 2002 p.471) Currently in the Australian community and schools there is an obesity epidemic in young people with many children doing less and less physical activity then advised. “In 2007-08 the National health survey, run by the Australian Government indicated that 24.9% of children aged 5-17 years old were either overweight or obese” (Healthy Active, 2009). These figures show that children are not being properly educated about healthy

Obesity has been measured or defined in various ways. Many researchers have differing opinions on the origins and effects of obesity. The rapidly increasing rates of obesity are often linked to a high calorie diet and little to no physical activity. Although obesity is seen as a disease that affects a person’s weight, it actually affects a lot more than that. Obesity can affect individuals in both adolescence and adulthood, their families, and the healthcare system. From an outside viewpoint, obesity looks like a disease that careless, inactive people develop. Not always is this the case. Obesity is not a disease that affects solely the weight of a person. To be considered obese, your BMI (body mass index) would have to be 30 or higher. Almost 70 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese. Not only does obesity affect the weight of a person, it can also lead to increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, and many other things. Questions posed on this dreadful disease by many people are on the origin of the disease, the effects and exponential growth of the disease, and the actions that are being taken to help provide a healthier environment for Americans and to establish programs and preventative methods across the country to help fight the ever increasing obesity rate.

Currently, in Australia, 1 in 4 children are classified as overweight or obese; and the setting surrounding children has been identified as an attribute for this rising prevalence (1). Between 1985 and 1995, Australian children aged 5-14 years, the growth of obesity and overweight epidemic doubled to reach 20% (2). Although the prevalence have plateaued over the last 17 years, the rates continue to remain high, and therefore a cause for concern.

Obesity is the problem when the individual gains excess of body fat that it may cause a negative impact on his health in terms of suffering from type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or even cancer (Brownson et al., 2009). With the increase in fat in the body, the risk of these diseases increases in the individual. The problem of obesity has significantly increased with time amongst the people of Australia. 28% adults were obese as per the statistics of the year 2014-15 in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018). The children are also suffering from the problem in the country. It has been noted that for the year 2014-15, one out of four children aged between 2 to 17 years were found obese or overweight

Schools can play an active role in obesity prevention through focusing on healthy eating and active lifestyle in their curriculum (Hardy, Farrell & King, 2007). Teachers educate students about the importance of healthy lifestyles in the key learning area of PDHPE. Health and Physical Education (HPE) is also a core subject in new K-10 Australian Curriculum. Both the K-6 PDHPE and K-10 HPE syllabuses incorporate outcomes and content that explicitly addresses healthy eating and physical activity. PDHPE has such an important role in the curriculum as it provides students with the education they need to adopt lifelong healthy, active

Obesity is rapidly becoming a major health issue throughout NSW. In Australia 63.4% percent of people were cut off for obesity making that more than half the population making obesity a major threat to individual’s health’s. The NSW health obesity strategy is a government organisation aiming to help individuals live healthier lifestyles by providing one on one help and assistance with their specific needs. The strategy also provides tailored programs for different groups of individuals who may have higher or lower levels or health due to their social situation, economic status e.g. (ATSI) this initiative was put into place and aims to over time, decrease the statistics of chronic illness related to obesity and its long-term health effects,

Childhood obesity is a medical condition defined as abnormal or excessive fat that can cause short and long term health problems to children (National Health and Medical Research Council [NHMRC], 2013). The obesity epidemic is recognized worldwide and is a fast growing concern for Australians; data from The OECD Health Data 2010 shows Australia’s obesity rate of 25% is similar to the United Kingdom and below the United States 34%, Mexico 30% and New Zealand 27% (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2010).

Childhood obesity has taken center stage in the Australian public health debate. This is not surprising given the 500% increase in the rate of childhood overweight and obesity from just 5% in the 1960s to 25% today.(1) While many developed countries face similar obesity levels, (2, 3) this essay explores the childhood obesity epidemic in an Australian context. It argues that a portfolio of primary prevention programs will be needed to curb the incidence of obesity. The essay has three parts. The first looks at the impact of childhood obesity at an individual and societal level. The second identifies the risk factors for overweight and obesity in childhood. The third offers up some primary prevention programs and outlines the

Obesity levels of the adolescents are significantly increasing throughout Australia. Australia is known to be the …… most obese country. There is an estimated ……. males and ……. females obese in Australia, in 2012. In this year it is estimated that only 55.7% of Australians were trying to lose weight but only 30% were obese. It is said that “only one in three obese people are concerned about their weight”. The obesity rate has doubled over the years for young adolescents as now one quarter of children are predicted to be overweight. 80% of the adolescents that are currently obese are said to remain that way in their adulthood. Obesity is a concerning issue as it can cause coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, abnormal blood fats, metabolic syndrome, cancer, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea.Obesity is caused due to many factors such as time, budget, peers, advertising, age, accessibility, motivation,

The percentage of overweight and obese children in Australia, despite rapid increases in the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, have remained mostly steady for the past 10 years, with 23 to 24% of Australians under the age of 18 classified as overweight, and 5 to 6% of the same demographic classified as obese. Through time Australia’s number in people suffering obesity has increased dramatically from 56.3% in 1995 to 61.2% in 2007-08. Compared to 1995, the proportion of Australians that were overweight in 2015 has fallen by 6%.

In 2008, obesity alone cost Australia 58.2 billion dollars (Obesity Australia, 2014). The majority of the cost of obesity comes from the ever growing list of health-related problems including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, just to name a few. There are also numerous indirect costs of obesity, which include but are not limited to; the value of lost work and the inflated insurance prices (Withrow D & Alter D, 2011). The long list of physical problems that arise from obesity include; insulin resistance, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancers, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea, osteoarthritis, cognitive impairment and depression (Core.monash.org, 2010). Recently, Cancer Council Australia CEO, Professor Ian Olver stated: “Unchecked, obesity will ultimately surpass tobacco as the major cancer killer in Australia” (Cancercouncil.org.au). The Cancer Council estimated that obese Australians are 23% more likely to fie from cancer, that those within the healthy weight range (Cancercouncil.org.au, 2011). Not only are there medical issues involved with obesity but a raft of adverse social and emotional effects.