'Almost half young Australians are overweight or obese'

About 46% of Aussies aged between 18 and 24 are over a healthy weight, reveals survey

CANBERRA: Almost half of young Australians are now considered overweight or obese, data has revealed.

According to a national health survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 46 per cent of Australians aged between 18 and 24 are over a healthy weight.

It marks an 18 per cent increase in the proportion of people in that age bracket who are overweight or obese since 2015.

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Almost one third had a body mass index (BMI) of between 25 and 29.99, making them medically overweight, and 15.5 per cent had a BMI of 30 or above, making them obese.

The overall proportion of adult Australians who were overweight or obese was 67 per cent, up from 63 per cent in 2014-15.

Tony Bartone, the president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said that the data should act as a warning to governments.

"We really do need to look at all the levers that we can pull to get this under control," he told WA today recently.

Bartone said the AMA and public health experts previously called for the government to implement a tax on sugary drinks, with the revenue to be poured back into the health system, and a ban on advertising unhealthy food to children.

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Approximately 9 per cent of adults consume sugary drinks every day according to the ABS while only five per cent eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables.

And only 1.9 per cent of Australians aged between 15 and 17 meet the daily guidelines for physical activity - a fact that Bartone described as an "absolute disgrace."

"You've got to start at an early age in changing behaviours, because once you get to teenagers you've missed the boat," he said.