To the Editor: A recent study of adult bodyweights recorded in 199 countries showed an increase in mean body mass index (BMI) of 0.4 kg/m2 per decade between 1980 and 2008.1 The increase in Australia was even greater: 0.9 kg/m2 for men and 1.2 kg/m2 for women.1 This increase in BMI, sometimes referred to as an “obesity epidemic”, has also been reported in coronial cases in South Australia, with the percentage of morbidly obese individuals (BMI > 40 kg/m2) undergoing autopsy rising from 1.3% to 4.8% between 1986 and 2006.2
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- University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA.
- 1. Finucane MM, Stevens GA, Cowan MJ, et al. National, regional, and global trends in body-mass index since 1980: systematic analysis of health examination surveys and epidemiological studies with 960 country-years and 9.1 million participants. Lancet 2011; 377: 557-567. Epub 2011 Feb 4.
- 2. Byard RW, Bellis M. Significant increases in body mass indexes (BMI) in an adult autopsy population from 1986 to 2006 — implications for modern forensic practice. J Forensic Leg Med 2008; 15: 356-358.
- 3. Lucena J, Rico A, Vázquez R, et al. Pulmonary embolism and sudden-unexpected death: prospective study on 2477 forensic autopsies performed at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Seville. J Forensic Leg Med 2009; 16: 196-201.