Obesity: Australia ranked in global top three
11 February 2011
Obesity levels in Australia and New Zealand are still rising, a new global study shows, with Australians having the third largest increases in BMI in the world over the past 2 decades.
(BMI, or body mass index, is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in metres squared [kg/m2]. A BMI of 30 or above indicates obesity, 25-29.9 indicates overweight, and 18.5-24.9 indicates normal weight.)
Researchers from the US, UK and World Health Organization estimated trends in obesity, cholesterol and blood pressure using health surveys and epidemiological studies from 199 countries between 1980 and 2008.
The studies found North American men had the highest average BMI in the world, at 28.4 kg/m2, followed by Australian and New Zealand men, at 27.6 kg/m2.
Female BMI in Australia and the US has increased by about 1.2 kg/m2 per decade.
Last Reviewed: 14 February 2011
- 1. Finucane MM, Stevens GA, Cowan MJ, et al; Global Burden of Metabolic Risk Factors of Chronic Diseases Collaborating Group (Body Mass Index). National, regional, and global trends in body-mass index since 1980: systematic analysis of health examination surveys and epidemiological studies with 960 country-years and 9.1 million participants. Lancet 2011; 377: 557-67. [Epub 4 Feb 2011.] doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62037-5. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2810%2962037-5/fulltext (accessed Feb 2011).
