Obesity Surpasses Smoking as Australia's Top Health Threat
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Sydney, Dec 12 (NationPress) Being overweight has now taken the lead as the foremost risk factor linked to disease in Australia, marking a significant shift in public health data.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released its annual Australian Burden of Disease Study for 2024 on Thursday. The report estimates that Australians collectively lost 5.8 million years of healthy life due to diseases and premature deaths in 2024, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The study revealed that 36 percent of the loss of healthy life, referred to as the burden of disease, could have been prevented or mitigated through modifiable risk factors.
The AIHW identified being overweight, including obesity, as the primary modifiable risk factor.
Previously, tobacco use held the title of the leading risk factor; however, the AIHW noted that its impact on disease burden has decreased by 41 percent since 2003.
According to AIHW spokesperson Michelle Gourley, this decline is likely a result of reduced smoking rates.
The study attributed 8.3 percent of Australia's total disease burden in 2024 to overweightness, while tobacco use accounted for 7.6 percent and various dietary risks made up 4.8 percent.
Another report from the AIHW published in June indicated that in 2022, 66 percent of Australian adults and 26 percent of children and adolescents were classified as overweight or obese.
According to Thursday’s findings, cancer continued to be the leading group of diseases contributing to the burden in 2024, responsible for 16.4 percent of the national loss of healthy life.
For younger Australians, mental health issues, suicide, and self-inflicted injuries were the primary causes of disease burden.
