Child Obesity in South Australia

Abstract

Obesity results when there is imbalance between energy intake (diet) and energy output (exercise). In Australia the increase in obesity and overweight among children has seen a doubling in the last decade but little is known of the causes of that increase. The present paper is a preliminary discussion of child obesity in the state of South Australia. It shows that the number of children in the state is falling but an increasing proportion of children is being born into low socioeconomic households. This is significant because there is also evidence produced to show that the prevalence of obesity is greater among lower than higher socioeconomic groups. There is some preliminary analysis of a unique database maintained by a South Australian government health agency that weighs a high proportion of the State's infants and children at particular stages of their development. It is shown that disadvantage is a key element in the prevalence of obesity and overweight. This involves both socioeconomic disadvantage and locational disadvantage and although there is considerable overlap between the two in that many of the same people suffer both they have quite distinct contributions to higher prevalence of obesity and overweight. Effective intervention to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity will involve action on a number of fronts but nowhere is it more important than among children. Further analysis of the CYH data will hopefully provide the detailed understanding necessary to produce more effective interventions to encourage more healthy eating and increased physical activity especially among more disadvantaged groups of children.