The obesity epidemic started in the 1980s but poor monitoring systems meant the rise in obesity prevalence initially went undetected.
Australian adults
Over the four surveys, the number of overweight or obese adults increased from 4.6 million in 1989–90 to 5.4 million in 1995, 6.6 million in 2001 and 7.4 million in 2004–05.
The origins of obesity can be traced back at least 25 000 years. In the Stone Age, in the Middle Ages, and in the 17th century overweight indicated prosperity,power, and fertility, but already Hippocrates described obesity as a disease in the Antique.
The biggest increases in excess weight gain are from childhood to early adulthood. Many Australians consume more energy than they need through unhealthy diets that are high in sugar, saturated and/or trans fats and alcohol.
The prevalence of obesity changed relatively little during the 1960s and 1970s, but it increased sharply over the ensuing decades—from 13.4% in 1980 to 34.3% in 2008 among adults and from 5% to 17% among children during the same period.
A century ago, obesity was rare. Now people all over the world are gaining weight, with 69% of adults in the US currently overweight or obese. Obesity is linked to rising rates of health problems such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Why the sudden change?
The worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980, according to a major study on how three important heart disease risk factors have changed across the world over the last three decades.
In 2017-18, two thirds (67.0%) of Australian adults were overweight or obese (12.5 million people), an increase from 63.4% in 2014-15. There was a large increase for those aged 18-24 years, with 38.9% overweight or obese in 2014-15 compared with 46.0% in 2017-18.
Australia is among a number of OECD member countries in which the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased over recent decades (OECD 2022) (Figure 17). These increases have been driven by the increased proportion of people who are living with obesity (OECD 2022).
Media Release - 16 November 2020. Australia has the second highest rate of obese men among countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), placing them just behind the United States, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Only in the latter half of the nineteenth century did being fat begin to be stigmatized for aesthetic reasons, and in the twentieth century, its association with increased mortality was recognized.
As for what is driving America's chronic weight problem, there are no definite answers. Scientific studies often reach conflicting conclusions, meaning many theories are out there, but the preponderance of evidence points to the two causes most people already suspect: too much food and too little exercise.
It all began in the 1950s when cardiovascular disease (CVD) was on the rise. Even our then president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, fell prey and suffered a heart attack. This new health threat catalyzed a dietary witch-hunt that convicted saturated fats as the culprit.
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.
Tasmania had the highest proportion of men overweight or obese (76.7%) while Australian Capital Territory had the lowest (70.5%).
About 14 million Australians are living with overweight or obesity2 - that's 2 in every 3 adults, and 1 in 4 children.
The most obese country by percentage of obese adults is Nauru, with 61% of adults falling in the obese category. Cook Islands fllows with 55.9%, and Palau just under that at 55.3%. Three other countries have adult populations that are over 50% obese: the Marshall Islands (52.9%), Tuvalu (51.6%), and Niue (50%).
Australian adults by weight status
In 2017-18, 67.0% of Australians aged 18 years and over were overweight or obese, comprised of 35.6% overweight and 31.3% obese. A further 31.7% were of normal weight and 1.3% were underweight. Australian Bureau of Statistics.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the most obese countries are primarily located in the Pacific and the Middle East. The Pacific island nations of Nauru, Cook Islands, and Palau have the highest rates of obesity, with over 30% of their populations being classified as obese.
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.
Vietnam is the least obese country with 2.1% of the population classified as obese.
The National Obesity Strategy is a 10-year framework for action to prevent, reduce, and treat, overweight and obesity in Australia. It focuses on prevention, but also includes actions to better support Australians who are living with overweight or obesity, to live their healthiest lives.
Obesity is on the rise globally. Rates among adults have nearly tripled since 1975, and those among children and adolescents have increased almost five times. The coronavirus pandemic has further exacerbated the problem.
The fact that obesity is developing rapidly in many parts of the globe is incontrovertible. The World Health Organization's Global Database on Body Mass Index includes the most comprehensive international data available on obesity trends. Absolute prevalence of obesity varies among countries (0.7%- 78.5%).
The global nature of the obesity epidemic was formally recognized by a World Health Organization consultation in 1997 ( 39 ).