Obesity and overweight

In Australia:

• about two thirds of adults are overweight or obese
• almost one quarter of 5 to 17 year olds are overweight or obese

Being overweight or obese means you are at a higher risk of getting a related illness, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis and some types of cancer.

To reduce obesity, we need to support the community to make healthier food choices and be more active.

What we’re doing about obesity and overweight

To reduce and prevent obesity in Australia, we:

• held a National Obesity Summit in Canberra in 2019 — this brought together experts to explore the causes of obesity and what we can do about it
• funded the National Health and Medical Research Council to review and update the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, Adolescents and Children
• are acting on the recommendations of the Select Committee into the Obesity Epidemic — see their final report from December 2018
• work with states and territories to development a National Obesity Strategy

We also work on policies and initiatives to support healthy food and nutrition and encourage Australians to do more exercise and physical activity.