Efforts to prevent, reduce, and treat, overweight and obesity have been boosted with the release of a 10-year national action framework.
Australia’s National Obesity Strategy 2022-32 aims to halt and reverse the prevalence of adult obesity and reduce overweight and obesity in children and adolescents by at least five percent by 2030.
Sixty-seven percent of Australian adults – or about 12.5 million people – were overweight in 2017-18, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This was up from 63.4 percent in 2014-15.
More than 18 million Australians will be overweight or obese by 2030 if current trends continue.
Consistent with the federal government’s National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030, the strategy notes that no single action will be enough to prevent and reduce obesity.
Instead, a systems-based approach that addresses environmental influences and empowers individuals will be critical – as will ensuring all Australians are enabled and supported to make the best possible decisions about their health
Noting that councils can play an important role in preventative health in the community, ALGA’s pre-budget submission 2022-23 seeks a commitment of $100 million over four years for a local government place-based health and activity program.