Weighing it up: Obesity in Australia

Recommendation 2

Page last updated: 05 May 2013

The Committee recommends that the Minister for Health and Ageing commit to regular and ongoing surveillance and monitoring of Australian’s weight, diet and physical activity levels, and that data gathered is used to formulate, develop and evaluate long-term policy responses to obesity in Australia. This data collection should build on the foundation established by the 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, and proposed National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey and National Health Risk Survey, providing up-to-date information about the prevalence of obesity in Australia.

Agreed.

The Australian Government is undertaking the largest ever survey of Australia’s health through the 2011-13 Australian Health Survey. This survey brings together the:

  • National Health Survey series (undertaken every three years since 2001);
  • National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (building on the 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey);
  • National Health Measures Survey (a new component involving voluntary provision of biomedical samples and testing for a range of biomarkers); and
  • National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, previously conducted in 2004-05.
Participants in the Australian Health Survey were asked about their health status, health service use and health risk factors including diet and physical activity. Objective measures, including biomedical samples, will also be collected for weight, height, waist measurement, blood pressure, nutritional status and chronic disease markers. As with previous National Health Surveys, a targeted survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is being undertaken.

The results of the Australian Health Survey will provide a comprehensive view of the prevalence of chronic diseases and risk factors in the population, including data on health service usage. The results will create a robust evidence base for accurate estimates of the costs of obesity and the cost-effectiveness of obesity interventions.

The results of the Australian Health Survey will be complemented by longitudinal data on obesity and other chronic disease risk factors collected through a series of cohort studies funded by the Australian Government including the:
  • National Longitudinal Study on Male Health, Ten to Men which was announced on 6 May 2010 and data collection is expected to commence in 2013;
  • Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children, Footprints in Time (commenced 2008);
  • Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, Growing up in Australia (commenced 2004); and
  • Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, Women's Health Australia (commenced 1995).