IPSWICH ranks in the top five fattest regions in the country, according to the Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024 report released last month.
The new report, published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, has also found that being overweight or obese has overtaken tobacco smoking as the leading risk factor contributing to disease burden in Australia last year.
Public Health Association of Australia CEO Terry Slevin said the report was a big-picture scorecard on Australia’s health.
“The good news is that the burden of disease in Australia has fallen by 10 per cent over the past 20 years, and public health measures are playing an important part in helping us to be healthier and live longer lives,” Adjunct Professor Slevin said.
“It’s also welcome news that tobacco is causing fewer deaths and diseases than in 2004. Decades of tobacco control efforts in Australia are paying off.
“Despite this progress, smoking still accounts for 7.6 per cent of the disease burden.
“This year, public health experts have welcomed the government’s world-leading vaping and tobacco legislation to help us protect the health of Australians, particularly young people.”
Adjunct Prof Slevin said the report showed there was still much more work to do, particularly when it came to tackling obesity and being overweight.
“Obesity and overweight is now the main cause of preventable death and disease, causing 8.3 per cent of the burden of disease.
“The National Obesity Strategy and the Report on the Inquiry into Diabetes in Australia present a range of options to dial down the drivers of obesity and chronic disease like diabetes.
“We have to make it easier for people to be healthier. Action on obesity is the next vital cab off the rank when it comes to improving the health of people in Australia.”
Adjunct Prof Slevin said that report also showed why governments needed to invest in prevention.
“Although the report highlights that one-third of the burden of disease is due to preventable causes,
Australia’s health system continues to focus on treatment, rather than make a modest investment in keeping more of us healthy,” he said.
“Rather than $1 in $50 going to prevention, if we aimed for $1 in $20, we’ll be setting a foundation for vital measures to improve the future health of everyone in Australia.”
In 2018, 78.3 per cent of Ipswich adults were overweight or obese, with the figures sitting at 61.9 per
cent of Queensland adults overweight or obese last year.
