Adult obesity is high in NZ and likely to increase
Preliminary results from the 2002/03 NZ Health Survey show:
- More than half of adults are overweight or obese.
- 60% of men and 40% of women are overweight. Of these, 20% of are obese.
Earlier studies found that:
- 17% of adults were obese in 1997. Another 35% were overweight.
- 60% of Maori adults were overweight or obese in 1997.
- Maori obesity was almost double that of Pakeha.
- Obesity levels increased from 11% in 1989 to 17% in 1997.
Fat children are more likely to become fat adults:
- Almost half the overweight 7 year-olds in a Dunedin study were still overweight at 21; and leaner children became overweight too.
- In the USA, 7 year-old obese boys are 4 times more likely (than lean boys) to become obese adults; and15 year-old obese males are nearly 10 times more likely (than lean boys) to become obese adults.
- In Australia, obese children have a 25-50% chance of becoming obese adults. The risk for older teens may be as high as 78%.
Adult obesity varies around the world
- More than 1 billion adults worldwide are overweight. At least 300 million are obese.
- Nearly two-thirds of the US population are overweight or obese. 20% are obese.
- Obesity ranges from below 5% in China, Japan and some African countries, to 75%+ in urban Samoa.
More facts:
- Our children are among the fattest in the world
- Lack of exercise and unhealthy eating are two of the main causes
- Being overweight increases the risk of premature illness and death
- Obesity and related diseases will lead to dramatically increased health costs
Back to "Obesity - The Facts" homepage
References
A Portrait of Health: Key results of the 2002/03 New Zealand Health Survey. Ministry of Health, 2004
Obesity and Overweight. Fact sheet. WHO, 2003
World Health Organization. International Obesity Taskforce: The Asia-Pacific perspective: redefining obesity and its treatment. WHO, 2000
