Investigators from The University of Sydney and Deakin University analysed data obtained from the Australian National Health Survey 2004-5 to determine whether being overweight or obese, or having self-perceptions of being overweight had any influence on whether or not people met national physical activity and nutrition guidelines.

They found that overweight perception may be another barrier to physical activity participation among men and women with excess body weight, and suggest that public health strategies need to focus on overcoming weight perception as well as weight status barriers to adopting healthy physical activity behaviours.

When analysed separately, investigators found that approximately 25 per cent of Australians met physical activity guidelines, and approximately 55 per cent and 15 per cent of Australians consumed sufficient fruit servings/day and vegetable servings/day, respectively. Investigators where also startled to discover that less than 5 per cent of Australians met both physical activity and diet guidelines.

One of the Chief investigators, Dr Evan Atlantis from The University of Sydney Department of Exercise and Sport Science, asserts that the increases in obesity rates and related diseases among Australians is causally linked to unhealthy lifestyles including a lack of physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption, and is a serious concern.

Dr Atlantis emphasises that physical inactivity among adults is estimated to represent approximately 2.5 per cent of total annual health expenditure (Katzmarzyk and Janssen, 2004). Based on annual health expenditures of over $60 billion AUD for the periods 2000 to 2004, the economic burden of physical inactivity among Australian adults was approximately $2 billion AUD per annum and appears to be steadily growing (AIHW).

'The Australian government could easily justify spending approximately $200 million per annum on comprehensive evidence-based public health programs targeting low physical activity and poor nutrition behaviour, given the projected net economic benefit to total annual health expenditure,' said Dr Atlantis.

'Nonetheless, all public health programs should undergo evaluations for cost-effectiveness, and budgets earmarked for public health programs should be sufficient and proportionate to the economic burden of the disease or risk factor being targeted,' he said.

usyd.au