To the Editor: There is a substantial volume of evidence from a range of national and state-based surveys illustrating increases in the rates of obesity and overweight among Australian children over the past two decades,1 concurring with trends observed in most developed countries.2 The recent article by Gill and colleagues highlighted questions that have been raised publicly regarding the extent and impact of levels of obesity and overweight among Australian children, including whether trends have been exaggerated.1
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- 1 National Heart Foundation of Australia, Melbourne, VIC.
- 2 International Association for the Study of Obesity, London, UK.
- 1. Gill TP, Baur LA, Bauman AE, et al. Childhood obesity in Australia remains a widespread health concern that warrants population-wide prevention programs. Med J Aust 2009; 190: 146-148. <MJA full text>
- 2. Baur LA. Tackling the epidemic of childhood obesity. CMAJ 2009; 180: 701-702.
- 3. Pyke JE. Australian Health and Fitness Survey 1985. Adelaide: Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 1987.
- 4. McLennan W, Podger A. National nutrition survey, 1995. Nutrient intakes and physical measurements. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1998.
- 5. Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey — main findings. Prepared by the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Preventative Health National Research Flagship, and the University of South Australia. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2008. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/phd-nutrition-childrens-survey (accessed May 2009).
- 6. Magarey AM, Daniels LA, Boulton TJ. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Australian children and adolescents: reassessment of 1985 and 1995 data against new standard international definitions. Med J Aust 2001; 174: 561-564. (Correction in Med J Aust 2001; 175: 392.) <eMJA full text> <MJA full text>
- 7. Cole TJ, Bellizzi MC, Flegal KM, Dietz WH. Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. BMJ 2000; 320: 1240-1243.
- 8. Australian Social Science Data Archive. http://assda.anu.edu.au/ (accessed May 2009).
- 9. Lobstein T, Baur L, Uauy R. Obesity in children and young people: a crisis in public health. Obes Rev 2004; 5 Suppl 1: 4-85.