General health In 2017-18, over half (56.4%) of Australians aged 15 years and over considered themselves to be in excellent or very good health with the highest rate in Western Australia (60.7%) and the lowest rate in Tasmania (51.2%).
Tasmania has been named the unhealthiest state in the country with the highest stress levels, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and smoking rates.
Tamworth was given the unflattering title of fattest town in Australia back in 2020, when the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 61.2 per cent of residents were considered obese, compared to 31.3 per cent nationally.
US News & World Report factored CDC adult obesity rates into the outlet's annual state rankings and found that West Virginia is the most obese, with a 40.4% rate. “Obesity is a complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat,” according to the Mayo Clinic. “Obesity isn't just a cosmetic concern.
Comparisons for measured body weight are based on data from 2021 or the latest available year (OECD 2022). Australia ranked 9th out of 21 countries with available data for the proportion of people aged 15 and over who were living with overweight or obesity (65%) – this was greater than the OECD average of 60%.
Media Release - 16 November 2020
The Heart Foundation said the findings were a concern for Australians' heart health. Findings include: Aussie men are the second most obese in OECD countries - Aussie men have the second highest rates of obesity (32%) among 23 OECD countries, behind the USA (38%).
Australia is ranked fifth for obesity, with wider waistlines than countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland, but slimmer than Hungary, New Zealand, Mexico and the United States, which has an obesity rate of 38.2 per cent.
Hawaii secures its spot at number one with the highest score of 79.40 out of 100. Hawaii ranks as the healthiest state with a final score of 79.4. It has the lowest PM2. 5 Annual Average Concentration and a relatively low obesity rate.
Least Obese States
The District of Columbia is the least obese state in the U.S., with an obesity rate of 24.7%. Hawaii is the second least obese state with an obesity rate of 25%, followed by Colorado with a rate of 25.1%.
Sydney, NSW
Sydney narrowly edged out Melbourne for the highest percentage (81%) of residents who engage in exercise at least once a week. The top reasons Sydneysiders exercise are to feel better mentally, look better physically, and reduce stress.
Adelaide, tying with Gold Coast, has been named the healthiest cities in Australia in a new study by Mandoe Media, with Melbourne, Perth and Sydney rounding out the top 5.
Tasmania had the highest proportion of men overweight or obese (76.7%) while Australian Capital Territory had the lowest (70.5%).
Australians living in rural areas have the highest wellbeing, marginally ahead of those in capital and regional cities. Queensland claimed the title of the country's happiest state.
After maintaining the highest standard of community well-being for seven consecutive years, it comes as no surprise that the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) cemented itself as the best place to live in Australia.
If you were to walk the streets of, say, Denver, you'd probably see more thin people than overweight ones. Colorado continues to have the country's lowest obesity rate, according to the latest Gallup poll results.
Among the US-born, Whites had the lowest total obesity prevalence followed by Hispanics and then Blacks; but racial-ethnic disparities for immigrants were different. In abdominal obesity, US-born white men had the highest prevalence.
If your BMI is 18.5 to <25, it falls within the healthy weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to <30, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obesity range.
Top 10 Healthiest Countries in the World (2021 Global Health Security Index): United States — 75.9. Australia — 71.1. Finland — 70.9.
Widely considered to be one of the healthiest diets in the world, the Okinawan diet has numerous health benefits. So much so that Japan has the lowest obesity rates and second longest life expectancy of any developed country. The Okinawan diet is centred around fish, seafood, tofu, and other nutrient-rich ingredients.
Hawaii led the nation in the well-being ranking, with the top score in the physical, financial and community categories. Alaska and South Dakota followed closely behind. At the bottom of the list were Kentucky and West Virginia, which struggled in all the areas measured.
More than two-thirds of Australian adults are classed as overweight or obese and that figure is projected to increase in coming years.
Is obesity a disability as defined by the NDIA? Earlier AAT rulings have determined that obesity alone is not a disability because it does not 'entail a loss of, or damage to, a physical, sensory or mental function' (see Schwass and the NDIA).
Over the last two decades, the average Australian man and woman has gained 5 kilograms in weight. In 2017–18 the average Australian man weighed 87 kilograms compared with 82 kilograms in 1995. The average Australian woman weighed 72 kilograms compared with 67 kilograms in 1995.