Overweight and obesity is close to overtaking tobacco smoking as the leading risk factor for premature death and disease in Australia.
Data collected in Victoria in 2004 showed that men were more likely to be overweight than women at all ages.
Similar proportions of men (14.3%) and women (14.7%) were classified as obese, while 42% of men and 23% of women were overweight.
Besides increased cancer risk, being overweight or obese also leads to decreased life expectancy and reduced quality of life as a result of:
Obesity is associated with increased health care costs and increased demands on health services. The scale of the problem threatens to reduce gains made in recent years in Victoria.
