Canberra, June 24 (IANS). Obesity is a rapidly growing health problem in Australia. A new report released by the government has revealed that almost one-third of the adults in the country are now victims of obesity.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report released on Wednesday, 32.8 percent of Australian adults aged 18 and older were found to be obese during the year 2022-24. This figure is continuously increasing. In the year 2017-18 it was 31.3 percent, while in 2014-15 it was recorded at 27.9 percent.
According to the report, in 2022-24, 67.1 percent of adults were either obese or overweight. At the same time, the number of people falling in the category of severe obesity has also increased. In 2022-24, 13 percent of adults were found to be suffering from severe obesity, while in 2017-18 this figure was 11.7 percent.
The study also revealed that men are more likely to be overweight or obese than women. However, the problem of severe obesity was seen more in women.
AIHW spokeswoman Amy Young said obesity and overweight have become a major health challenge facing Australia. He said that this problem is increasing with time and is affecting almost all age groups.
According to Amy Young, obesity and overweight have become the biggest risk factors for disease and death in Australia in recent years. It has also left tobacco consumption behind.
Concern about children was also expressed in the report. Among children aged 5 to 17 years, 28.1 percent were found to be overweight or obese in 2022-24, compared to 24.9 percent in 2017-18.
Talking about the economic impact, about 800 million Australian dollars (553.4 million US dollars) were spent on obesity treatment across the country in the year 2023-24. In addition, an additional 10 billion Australian dollars (6.9 billion US dollars) were spent on the treatment of obesity and overweight-related diseases.
According to experts, obesity is a complex and long-term disease, in which excessive fat gets accumulated in the body. This increases the risk of many serious health problems. According to the World Health Organization, it is mainly caused by an imbalance of calories taken in and spent by the body, although many other factors also play an important role.
–IANS
VKU/AS