Abstract
The prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising dramatically worldwide, including in Australia. Therefore, the necessity of identifying the risk factors of overweight and obesity is pivotal. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of neighbourhood socio-economic circumstances and place of residence on obesity amongst Australian adults. This study has used nationally representative panel data on 183,183 person-year observations from 26,032 unique Australian adults from the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA). Random-effects logistic regression technique was employed to examine the relationships. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has been found at approximately 34% and 24%, respectively. The most striking result to emerge from the analyses is that adults living in the most socio-economic disadvantaged area were 2.04 times (AOR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.57–2.65) and adults from regional cities of Australia were 1.71 times (AOR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.34–2.19) more prone to be obese compared to their healthy counterparts. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is very high among Australian adults, especially those living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and the regional cities. Unhealthy levels of BMI have costly impacts on the individual, the economy, and the health care system. Therefore, this study emphasises effective weight control strategies that can potentially tackle the obesity epidemic in Australia.
Highlights
IntroductionObesity is an epidemic concern that imposes substantial health challenges
Obesity is an epidemic concern that imposes substantial health challenges.The prevalence of obesity has risen worldwide substantially irrespective of gender, among men (3% to 11%) and women (6% to 15%) over the last four decades [1]
The current study demonstrates the prevalence of overweight and obesity and its association with the neighbourhood socio-economic circumstances and place of residence among Australian adults
Summary
Obesity is an epidemic concern that imposes substantial health challenges. The prevalence of obesity has risen worldwide substantially irrespective of gender, among men (3% to 11%) and women (6% to 15%) over the last four decades [1]. In 2016, a global estimation reported that around 39% of the world population was overweight, of which 13% suffered from obesity [2]. More than one in two people in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries live with higher BMI, i.e., overweight or obesity [3]. The prevalence of obesity nearly doubled from 1980 to 2000 in Australia [4]. It is predicted that the obesity rate in Australia might increase by 65% within 2025 [6]
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