Morbidity

Obesity is a disease that is damaging our health, reducing the quality of our lives, and leading us to a premature death. The economic costs to the individual and to the health care system are enormous. It is estimated that obesity in Australia costs approximately $1.3 billion annually.

Obesity is the central factor in type 2 diabetes - a condition which now affects nearly one million Australians. Individuals with Type 2 diabetes are at risk of serious damage and most sufferers are overweight, and more than half are obese. 

Further, obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, leading to heart attacks and strokes. It additionally contributes strongly to the prevalence of hypertension and Dyslipidemia, which are also independent cardiac risk factors.

Obesity is also the primary cause or a major contributor to, a myriad of other diseases including obstructive sleep apnoea, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, chronic low back pain and degenerative diseases of the hips and knees, asthma, depression, reflux oesophagitis and a number of common cancers.

Table 1: