Australia has become the fattest nation in the world, with more than 9 million adults now rated as obese or overweight, according to an alarming new report.
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.
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.
When comparing the proportion of obese men and women across OECD countries, Australia had the 2nd highest proportion of obese men (32%), behind the United States (38%). The proportion of obese women in Australia was 8th highest out of 23 countries (29%)—higher than the OECD average of 25% for women.
This is a rise from 10th place since the research was carried out two years ago, when UK obesity rates stood at 24.9 per cent. The new report shows the US still tops the obesity league tables, with rates of 38.2 per cent, followed by Mexico at 33.3 per cent.
The rise in obesity has been attributed to poor eating habits in the country closely related to the availability of fast food since the 1970s, sedentary lifestyles and a decrease in the labour workforce.
One in ten children is obese by age 5, rising to 23% by age 11. Deprived children are more likely to be obese, and the gap has widened. In the 2021 survey, 25.9% of adults in England were obese and a further 37.9% were overweight, making a total of 63.8% who were either overweight or obese.
Significant differences in the prevalence of obesity were observed among the three countries: 7% of the population in France was obese, 9% in the UK and 15% in the USA (P less than 0.001).
The highest proportions of women considered to be obese were recorded in Estonia (23.6 %) Latvia (25.7 %), Ireland (26.0 %) and Malta (26.7 %), while for obese men the highest shares were found in Croatia (23.7 %), Ireland (25.7 %), Hungary (25.8 %) and Malta (30.6 %) (see Figures 1 and 2).
Japan's success in avoiding the obesity problem faced by most of the western world is down to three main factors: an appreciation of good food from cradle to grave, a lifestyle that encourages incidental exercise, and a large dollop of paternalism.
In Australia, 2 out of 3 adults and 1 in 4 children are living with obesity or are overweight. Obesity is more common among disadvantaged Australians. Experts predict that by 2025, more than 3 in 4 Australian adults will be either overweight or living with obesity. Obesity can be a sensitive topic.
Nutrient transmission (change in diet) is the primary cause of the obesity epidemic in the Pacific Islands, with a high amount of imported foods high in salt and fat content grow.
According to the study, of all European countries the UK ranks fourth for having the most overweight and obese adults, behind Israel, Malta and Turkey.
According to the Global Obesity Federation, 36 percent of British adults engage in insufficient physical activity, which makes us less active than many of our European neighbours. “Children in the UK report lower levels of physical activity compared to some other western European countries, too”, Dr Cecchini adds.
But despite this, when you compare Parisian living costs to the UK, they're still 14% cheaper. The cost of living in Versailles, France, is relatively affordable.
In the UK it's estimated that around 1 in every 4 adults and around 1 in every 5 children aged 10 to 11 are living with obesity.
In 2021, the mean weights of men and women based on adjustments to self-reported weight were 85.1kg and 71.8kg, respectively. Based on measured values, mean weight between 1993 and 2019 increased from 78.9kg to 85.4kg among men, and from 66.6kg to 72.1kg among women.
Causes of obesity
Obesity is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little. If you consume high amounts of energy, particularly fat and sugars, but don't burn off the energy through exercise and physical activity, much of the surplus energy will be stored by the body as fat.
The average Australian woman was 161.8 cm tall and weighed 71.1 kg. On average, Australians are growing taller and heavier over time. Between 1995 and 2011-12, the average height for men increased by 0.8 cm and for women by 0.4 cm, while the average weight for men increased by 3.9 kg and for women by 4.1 kg.
The intergenerational cultural, socio-economic and political impact of Australia's colonisation have led to poor nutrition and health including the forced removal of Aboriginal people from traditional lands and a resultant inability to access traditional food sources as Aboriginal people became more urbanised, were ...
Is it possible to be overweight and healthy? Silvana Pannain, MD: Yes, you can be overweight and metabolically healthy. At the same time, we know that obesity is a disease that affects the body in many different ways. Thirteen types of cancer and 200 other health conditions are related to obesity.