About Obesity and BMI

Media Release 18 February 2011

About obesity

Obesity is a disease in which fat has accumulated to the extent that one’s health is impaired.9  Obesity can also be linked to genetic, perinatal and socioeconomic factors.3 Weight status is often measured using the body mass index (BMI); measured by body weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in metres squared). A BMI of 25–30 is considered overweight, while a BMI greater than 30 is obese.3

People who are obese are at higher risk of premature death and many health complications including
type 2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis and some cancers.12 More than 3 million adult Australians are obese, costing the community more than $58 billion each year.12

Obesity accounts for approximately 7.5 per cent of the total disease burden in Australia, just behind high blood pressure and tobacco,3 and is the highest contributor to the the burden of disease for those in the 35-44 age group (8.6%) and 45-54 age groups (13%).3 Obesity places a significant burden on the health economy.4 As the trend grows, so will the prevalence of obesity-related health risks to the community.

* BMI – Body Mass Index expressed in kg/m2

Read more of this article by following the links below:

1. Kuczmarski MD, Prevelance of Overweight and Weight Gain in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr 1992; 55:495S-502S.

2. Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, National Health Survey 2007-08, Cat 4364.0.

3. Access Economics 2008. The growing cost of obesity in 2008: Three years on.

12. Access Economics. The economic cost of obesity. Diabetes Australia 2006.