So apparently, 80% of Australians are going to be obese by 2025

[AjasLipstick]

I live in Australia by the way. I'm British though. The reasearch was done by the World Health Organisation apparently.

Here's a slightly shitty link to an article

www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/obesity-can-lead-you-on-a-dangerous-path-to-ill-he/2590837/

That is absolutely worrying isn't it? I feel quite shocked really. When we moved here three years ago, I was nervous as I was convinced it was a very sporty country...full of fit people!

There are, it seems to me, a lot of very big young people though. And I now see more overweight OLDER people than ever. When I was younger, (I am 44) old people were bird-like...tiny and thin...they'd seen wars etc.

Now they're all the baby boomers and a lot of them are very large.

It worries me...my DC are both slim but what if that changes? We do eat well and exercise....but EIGHTY percent!??? It seems so many!

80% wow. Like you I thought it was a fit and sporty country

I'm in AU too. Where I live you can't drive 5 mins without seeing McD's, KFC and Hungry Jacks without getting started on all the other takeaway places that have popped up more recently. I don't know if it's like this is the UK? I guess in big cities it probably is. I'm from NZ and I would say those same stats would probably apply.

I'm laughing at the fit and sporty stereotype I guess it's perceived that way because it's 'outdoorsy'?

Stealth me too! Before I moved here I was convinced I'd feel frumpy....at a size 12! I'm a ten now because I walk more than ever here...thanks to no driving licence and a big dog!

DelBoy it's bad eh? American-seeming.

Del I dunno....it's sort of sold like that though....Australia...you think of beach volleyball and gorgeous people in swimwear.

I assumed the us would lead on obesity but they can't be higher than 80% in a few years.

I've also noticed that the sizings here are LIES. I go out shopping and some stores list an obvious size 10 as a 6....or a 14 as a 10. You pick up a top and the label says 6 but it's massive...well not massive but you know...it's what I know to be a UK 10.

I’m British in Aus too. It’s really interesting because where I live, hardly anyone is very fat - especially as I live in an area with lots of Chinese people who are all very slim.

But I used to live in Adelaide and I was fatter then, partly because even though I was only a size12/14, loads of people were miles bigger than me, so I felt slim in comparison.

Moved back to Sydney and lost 2 stone pretty sharpish as I felt bigger than average.

Also, when you visit some areas of Australia (poorer areas) almost everyone seems overweight.

Stealth a quick google suggests the US will be 75% obese by 2020. So probably around the same rate.

Agree on sizing - I wear a size 8/10 here but this is absolutely a size 12 uk.

Oz there you go! I live in Adelaide. It's one of the most unhealthy states I believe. Worst levels of obesity apparently.

We're like the deep south in America!

It doesn't surprise me though. There's a lot of more remote communities with poor outcomes and they tip the balance.

I take those stats with a grain of salt to be honest, if you focus hard enough on something you’re bound to be more aware of seeing it around.

It was interesting watching the news tonight because in one segment they’re going on about a new independent body to tackle an epidemic of eating disorders across Australia (although naively they seem to be focusing on anorexia, bulemia etc as if they’re the only eating disorders) and then the next segment was about the obesity epidemic and would a sugar tax help etc. Sort of left me wondering “well which one is it?”

Basically we’re all fucked up with eating these days one way or another.

Yeh I guess so, I've never been to America, I'm sure it's even worse there! I guess Australia is marketed that way over in the UK. Sun, surf, sand, 'beach babes'.. Kind of like Home and Away

And I think it's interesting because the fresh food here is of very good quality but it is expensive. So we eat very simply....meat only twice a week really and vegetarian food the rest of the time.

Anything processed from the supermarket is expensive...so people on low incomes must be eating a lot of fast food rather than buying shite in Coles.

I feel like it would be easy to turn it around here - we have so much in our favour like great weather, good parks, lots of outside space, and a government that is quite happy to throw money at problems.

I'm a kiwi and it's pretty bad here too (we are third worst in OECD). I was shocked when I first moved to UK over 15 years ago at the number of obese people but by the time we moved back here it was the same.

Long term impacts on the health system will not be good!

i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/97797530/new-zealand-gets-bronze-in-oecd-obesity-stakes

Agree too about food. We eat very well here, I don’t comfort eat, we have loads of salads and veg, fish etc. It’s not hard to eat well here, you would have to be stuffing yourself with junk to get truly big.

No citation for this "research".
No explanation given as to how the obesity/overweight stats will go from 37% to 80% in 7 years.
Imagine it's some groundwork for a sugar tax or similar in Oz based on fear-mongering shite like this, as is ours.
A quick google reveals this is indeed the case, the war against Big Sugar down under.

Adelaide is nice! I used to live just 'up the road' in Alice Springs I spent a couple of years living in a remote Aboriginal community and I'd say 99% of people there are overweight. Prices are extortionate, choice is very limited and what is on offer isn't healthy in the slightest.

The article says that 80% will be overweight or obese by 2025, not just obese.

A BMI of 25-30 is classified as overweight. I'm a size 10 with hips that sometimes make me a 12 and my BMI is 24.6. So I'm not going to worry too much and will just continue to try to teach the DC good habits. I think there's a bit of scaremongering there.

Where I live (in Australia), you can't park along the seafront at 6am for people who've travelled there to run, surf, swim, play early beach volleyball... it very much fits the stereo type. Travel inland a few suburbs and it's fast food-tastic

I think some people use the climate as an excuse like they do in the uk. Ie it's too hot rather than too cold/wet.

I spent $160 at Coles on the weekend I don't fell like I really got anything either. Must be hard feeding a growing family that's for sure.

Obesity is now serious in many places. We live in Brazil, it's far from toned bodies on the beach. In the last 30 years Brazil has seen an end to hunger and poverty, now 1 in 5 Brazilians are obese. Poor Brazilians are more likely to be obese than hungry. It's becoming really obvious. It's almost like everywhere is becoming the USA. Outdoor life can mean more meat, beer, parties and socialising.

Reginald I don't know...all it said was the World Health Organisation had done the research.

Ahoy oh yes...I do love it here.

Ahoy bloody right! We grow our own veg now....got so sick of spending 200 dollars and then still running out!

We got chickens too...the home grown veg has really helped the bills a lot!