The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released the First Issue of Overweight and Obesity in Adults in Australia: A Snapshot, 2007–08 . The increase in overweight and obesity rates in recent decades is a major public health concern in many countries including Australia. Before 1980, obesity rates were generally well below 10%, but have doubled or tripled in many countries since then. Sedentary lifestyles which have come about due to increasing affluence and the modernisation of society, and changes to diets containing more energy-dense foods are believed to be the main causes in the rise in overweight and obesity rates.
Life expectancy may decrease due to the increasing number of overweight and obese people who experience health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. Overweight and obesity are prominent health risks that can affect a person's ability to work or participate in family and community activities and have serious implications for the health sector in terms of cost and burden on services.
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