The total Australian population

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Name
Professor
Institution
Course
THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN AUSTRALIA
Overweight and obesity make a significant public health problem in Australia. The latter is
caused by a sustained imbalance when there is higher energy intake from drinking than the
energy utilized in physical activity. Energy imbalance is predisposed by the organic and genetic
features of a person and also by the lifestyle factors. The discussion below will show different
information that will be used to create an image of overweight and obesity in Australia.
Research from ABS shows that in Australia, 1 out of every four children aged from 5-15
is overweight or obese. 20% of these children are either overweight or obese while for the

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children aged 2-4 and 5-15, the proportions are similar. The pervasiveness of overweight and
obesity for children aged 5-15 rose from 21% in 1995 to 25% in 2008 while the statistics
remained stable as of 2014. In 2015, 63% of the total Australian population was obese and
overweight (1). The prevalence of adverse obesity amid Australian adults has increased from 5%
in 1995 to 9% in 2015. Research shows that 71% of Australian men were obese equated to 56%
of the women.42% of men's and 29% of women's population were obese but not overweight (1).
The indigenous people have a high probability of being obese as compared to non-indigenous.
The people living outside major cities and in lower socio-economic groups are more likely to be
obese or overweight.
Many aboriginal people have exclusive languages, systems of awareness, and
philosophies. They possess an ancient culture for supportable administration of the natural assets
and have a certain relation to the utilization of their land (2). Australia's native people have two
unique cultural groups comprising the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons. The
aboriginal people have distinct groups like Murri, Koori, or Nunga, and they identify themselves
with where they originate. For instance, the Gunditjatmara community is the guardian of the
western victoria, while Yawuru people are the guardians of Western Australia (2).
The Torres Islander people are approximately 800,000. The age structure of the Torres
Strait Islander is composed of young population. The median age for indigenous Australian is 22
years while that of non-Indigenous Australian (3). National statistics released in 2016 showed
that 36% of the indigenous Australians were between 0-14 years while the non-indigenous make
only 18%. The Torres Islander persons are unique in that they are of Melanesian origin and have
various identities, histories, and cultural traditions. Cases of overweight and obesity are shared
among the Torres Strait Islander aged 15 years (61%) and above when compared to the

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Aboriginal individuals. The Aboriginals make about 56% .The levels of obesity and overweight
was high among the Torres Strait Islanders living in the Torres Strait region whereby 86% of the
dwellers had a BMI of 25.0 or even higher than that.
PART 2
Being weighty and obese upsurges the risk of several health disorders. The affliction of
obesity in the aboriginal populace in Australia is approximated to explain the life anticipation
gap. Recent report released by the ABS shows that obesity contributes 16% of the health gap
amid aboriginal and Torres islanders (3). Obesity has an association with the risk features for the
primary origins of mortality among the Torres Strait Islander people. It affects widely via
diabetes and heart diseases. For both the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, the rate of
obesity and overweight cases increases with age. Obesity is strongly affiliated with chronic
disease biomarkers. Indigenous people are seven times more likely to get obese more than those
of average or underweight(3). Lack of enough physical activity is also a primary factor and
causative agent of obesity and overweight. Childhood is also a vital period whereby the
disparities in health contributing factors such as the socio-economic status emerge. The
aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged between 2-14 years have a high
probability of being underweight when compared to the non-indigenous young people. The rate
of obesity for the indigenous children is high, with the highest rate being at 10-14 years.
Generally, obesity is associated with other health factors and social factors that determine health.
Prolonged financial stress is a primary factor that leads to obesity and overweight. Low income
is linked with food security challenges and dietary conducts. Incarceration also has a direct
association with weight gain and obesity in the indigenous youth.