Guidelines Dietary - Eat For Health

Guideline 11.1 Setting the sceneA healthy weight is a body weight associated with normal growth and development in children, and a reducedrisk of short- and long-term morbidity and mortality among people of all ages. 98-102 While it is unhealthy to beunderweight, overweight or obese, 88,98 ideal weight varies from one person to another and at different stagesof life. Persistent excess energy intake, whether small or large, can cause unwanted weight gain in people ofany age.There is widespread recognition that overweight and obesity constitute a global problem requiring urgentattention. 89,98,103,104 Overweight and obesity contributed 7.5% of the burden of premature death and disabilityin Australia in 2003. 10 More recent data from Western Australia and Queensland indicate that overweight andobesity have now overtaken cigarette smoking as the single greatest contributing risk factor, being responsiblefor 8.3–8.6% of the total burden of disease and injury. 105,106As is the case internationally, 107 overweight, obesity and associated health problems place a significant economicburden on the Australian health care system. The total direct, indirect and social cost has been estimated at$37.7–$56.6 billion 5,108 with direct costs estimated at $8–$21 billion. 5,109 It is predicted that by 2023, the projectedhealth expenditure for type 2 diabetes will have risen $1.4 billion to $7 billion per year, due mostly to increasingweight gain. 101.1.1 Weight status and trends in AustraliaThe prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased significantly in Australia and most developed countriessince the 1970s. 98,104,110AdultsMeasured height and weight data in 2007–08 showed that 2% of Australian adults were underweight, 37% wereof healthy weight, 37% were overweight and 25% were obese. 11 Overweight and obesity were more common inmen than women (68% versus 55%) and in people aged 65–74 years (75%) than in other age groups.Children and adolescentsA number of national and state-based surveys of children and adolescents using measured height and weightdata have found that 21–25% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese (with 5–8% classified asobese) and 2–5% are underweight. 11,12,111-113 The prevalence of obesity is higher for boys than girls (9% comparedwith 6%), 11 although the prevalence of combined overweight and obesity is similar (26% for boys and 24% forgirls). 11 The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children has increased significantly over the past twodecades. Although the rate of increase appears to be slowing, 111,112 the high prevalence remains of concern. 113Childhood obesity has been identified as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. 114In the United States (US) it has been predicted that, due to premature mortality associated with obesitydeveloping at a younger age, the current generation of children will be the first in that country’s history to havea life expectancy lower than that of their parents. 115 Obesity is an important determinant of a range of healthdisorders – unless the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity is arrested, the burden of chronicdisease in future generations will be pandemic 5,110 and cause a crisis in health and economic systems acrossthe world. 88,98,101Predicted trendsIf current trends continue in Australia, it is estimated that by 2025, 83% of men and 75% of women aged20 years or more will be overweight or obese. 116The predicted increases would significantly affect disease burden and health care costs, mostly due to anincreased incidence of type 2 diabetes. Without intervention, type 2 diabetes will account for around 9% ofthe total disease burden in Australia in 2023, up from around 5% in 2003. 1012EAT FOR HEALTH – australian dietary guidelinesNational Health and Medical Research Council