Weighing it up Obesity in Australia, from House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing, May 2009. This document covers the whole age range, but specific sections are relevant to the early years.Weighing it up Obesity in Australia, from House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing, May 2009. This document covers the whole age range, but specific sections are relevant to the early years.
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/haa/obesity/report/front.pdf
Text from the Foreword
On 11 May 2009, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published the latest National Health Survey 2007-08 figures. The Survey found that more adult Australians were overweight or obese in 2007-2008 compared with 1995 (when the previous survey was conducted). The Survey found that 68 percent of adult men and 55 percent of adult women were overweight or obese. This shows a growing incidence over 12 years as only 64 percent of men and 49 percent of women were overweight or obese in 1995. For children, there was a significant increase in the proportion who are obese from 5.2 percent in 1995 to 7.8 percent in 2007-08.1
This inquiry into obesity in the Australian population, focusing on future implications for Australiaï¿œs health system, has revealed that there are high personal and economic costs associated with this increasing prevalence. The Committee has heard there is a vast array of direct and indirect costs to – not just the health system – but individuals, families, communities, and employers.
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Our report complements the National Preventative Health Taskforce process insofar as we make general recommendations on what governments, industry, individuals and the broader community can do to reverse our growing waistlines. Our report differs in that it also, importantly, serves as a platform for many stakeholders to share their views and tell their stories. As some of the text and photos in our report attest, there are some quite exciting and innovative solutions already underway, spanning from well-designed urban developments to council-run exercise programs in parks to community gardens and cooking classes.
The Committee has been pleased by the interest in the inquiry and believes that there is real momentum in the community to do more.
The Committee hopes that our report, together with the Preventative Health Taskforce Strategy, takes the debate forward but moreover results in actions that reverse the trend of overweight and obesity in Australia.