Weighing it up: Obesity in Australia

Recommendation 14

Page last updated: 05 May 2013

The Committee recommends that the Minister for Health and Ageing fund research into the causes of obesity and the success or otherwise of interventions to reduce overweight and obesity.

Agreed.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of producing good quality research into the causes of obesity and the success of obesity interventions.
The majority of obesity related research funding is provided through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The Australian Research Council also funds some research into obesity causes, treatment and prevention. The new Australian National Preventive Health Agency manages a preventive health research fund which will focus on translational research, and as such is expected to include research into the success or otherwise of interventions to reduce overweight and obesity.

NHMRC has made obesity prevention and treatment a major focus for the triennium 2010-2012, and has committed to funding obesity intervention research through its Project Grant scheme. The Project Grant Funding Policy identified obesity intervention as a strategic plan initiative, stating it represents a serious and growing national health concern and an increasing burden on the health care system.

NHMRC provided $31.5 million for research on obesity in 2010, of which approximately $8.8 million funded 61 grants investigating the causes of obesity. These grants covered a wide range of disciplines and include:

  • research investigating the genetic, cellular and metabolic causes of obesity;
  • public health studies investigating lifestyle, socioeconomic and environmental risk factors for obesity;
  • neurological causes such as the regulation of appetite and satiety; and
  • diet, exercise and nutritional studies.
In addition to research into the causes of obesity, two NHMRC grants worth $389,040 were provided for research into the effectiveness of obesity interventions.