Policy Analysis: The National Preventative Health Strategy – The Roadmap for Action 30 June 2009 (Obesity Prevention)

Running head: THE NATIONAL PREVENTATIVE HEALTH STRATEG-THE
ROADMAP FOR ACTION 30 JUNE 2009 (OBESITY PREVENTION) 1
Policy Analysis: The National Preventative Health Strategy – The Roadmap for Action 30
June 2009 (Obesity Prevention)
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THE NATIONAL PREVENTATIVE HEALTH STRATEGY – THE ROADMAP FOR
ACTION 30 JUNE 2009 (OBESITY PREVENTION)
The National Preventative Health Strategy – The Roadmap for Action 30 June 2009 (Obesity
Prevention)
1. Introduction
The significance of Obesity in Australia
The recent decades have seen a rise in the cases of obesity in Australia. This has been
observed across all age groups but more so among adults in the population. Obesity in the
population is linked to not only other related chronic diseases, but also adds up to the
economic burden of meeting hospital bills. In the year 1995, statistics on Australians aged
above 18 years indicated that 64.9 per cent males and 49.4 per cent females were classified as
obese and/or overweight (Harris, Fetherston, & Calder, 2017). Recently in-between 2014 and
2015, these proportions rose to 70.8 per cent males and 56.3 per cent females. Comparatively,
the adult obesity rate of Australia is approximated to the 5th highest among the countries
forming up the OECD countries (OECD, 2017). Between the years 2014 and 2015, about
27.2 per cent of the Australian children population within the age of 5 to 17 years were rated
as being either obese or overweight. Among them, 7.4 per cent were classified as living with
obesity. If there are no interventions today, more Australians will be overweight or obese in
the future (Martin, 2018). The National Preventative Health Taskforce estimated that if there
are no interventions, about 6 million of the Australian population will be overweight or obese
in the year 2020. By 2025, 73 per cent of Australians will be overweight or obese (Gray &
Holman, 2009). In this regard, a third of children and three quarters of the country’s
population will be overweight or obese. This will present with 2 years fall in life expectancy
of Australian children once they attain 20 years of age. Overweight and obesity related type
2 diabetes will hike from the current $1.3 to an approximated $8.0 billion by the year 2032
(Harris et al., 2017). It is thus clear that obesity is a very significant issue that needs to be

THE NATIONAL PREVENTATIVE HEALTH STRATEGY – THE ROADMAP FOR
ACTION 30 JUNE 2009 (OBESITY PREVENTION)
addressed through water-tight policies to prevent the potential effect of related lifestyle
diseases and reduce healthcare costs. This study thus presents the reason for choosing this
policy on obesity for review, the identified problem, the critical discussion evidence/analysis
of the policy, the identified decision parameters, and a conclusion.
Reason for Choosing Policy
The choice to analyse the National Preventative Health Strategy–The Roadmap
particularly on obesity prevention is because of the danger caused by obesity on the
Australian population today and in the near future. From the above statistics, it is clear that
obesity will bring about more costs on healthcare for Australians, will predispose the
population to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, and will end up reducing the life
expectancy of the young generation by 2 years if not prevented today (Harris et al., 2017).
This policy needs to be analysed in order to track the effects of its implementation as adopted
by the Australian federal government since 2009, on obesity cases.
Summary of Policy Document: Chapter 2: Obesity in Australia: A Need For Urgent
Action
This chapter focuses on highlighting the strategies towards reversing the increasing
trend of obesity among Australians. It also aims at managing and preventing obesity while
targeting the prevention of related adverse effects such as type 2 diabetes and higher costs of
medication for the population (Obesity Policy Coalition (2018). In regard to these targets, the
policy put it upon Australian health authorities and the government to increase the number of
Australian adults and children that have healthy body weight by 3 per cent in the following
10 years. The authorities also were to increase the number of Australians that meet the
national healthy eating and/or physical activity guidelines by 15 per cent within the following
six years (Martin, 2018). Further, the strategy directed the health authorities and the

THE NATIONAL PREVENTATIVE HEALTH STRATEGY – THE ROADMAP FOR
ACTION 30 JUNE 2009 (OBESITY PREVENTION)
Australian government to ensure; that a start to life for children is healthy, and that promotion
of parenting and supportive communities in a positive way is paramount.
The chapter as a policy on obesity has action areas that are structured towards halting
and/or reversing the increasing trend in overweight and obesity cases in Australia by the year
2020. First, it recommends the need for health authorities to institute community-based
environmental changes that can boost physical activity levels in the populace and thus reduce
cases of a sedentary lifestyle. The second action area was that authorities needed to drive
change in the food supply in order to ensure that healthier food options are sold to the
citizens. Thirdly, the policy recommends as the need to reduce cases of exposing children and
even adults marketing messages of products which encourage consumption of energy-dense
but nutrient-poor foods including beverages (Sacks, Martin, & Veerman, 2016). The policy
also calls upon health authorities and the Australian government(s) to address maternal and/or
child health care also as to enhance a healthy early life.
The piece of legislation also calls upon the authorities to support communities that
have low-income earning population, so as to improve their physical activity levels and boost
healthy eating. In regard to the indigenous population, the policy recommends a need to
reduce the prevalence of obesity and its burden among the Indigenous Australians. Further,
the policy as structured by The National Preventative Health Taskforce, recommended a need
to build an evidence base, and carry out a monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of
the mentioned actions.
Policy Analysis
The Identified Problem
After the release and adoption by the “Australia: The Healthiest Country by 2020 –
National Preventative Health Taskforce Strategy –The Roadmap for Action (the Roadmap)”
by the National Preventative Health Taskforce it was clear that Australia had finally found