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Report of the New South Wales Chief Health Officer
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Overweight and obesity
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Note:
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Body Mass Index (BMI) was based on self reported height and weight. BMI=weight(kg)/height*height(m).
BMI categories were as follows: underweight: BMI<20, acceptable weight: 20<=BMI<25,
overweight: 25<=BMI<30, obese: BMI>=30.
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Source:
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NSW Health Surveys 1997 and 1998 and ABS National Health Surveys 1989-90 and 1995 (HOIST), Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch,
NSW Health Department and ABS National Health Survey 1995 (Catalogue no. 4392.0).
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Overweight or obesity increases the risk of a range of health problems, including coronary heart disease,
non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, breast cancer, gallstones, degenerative joint disease and obstructive
sleep apnoea.
The proportion of NSW adults considered to be overweight or obese was similar in the National Health Surveys
of 1989/90 and 1995. In 1995, 47 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women reported being overweight or obese.
At the 1997 and 1998 NSW Health Surveys, even more men (51 per cent) and women (35 per cent) reported being
overweight or obese.
All of the surveys underestimated the true prevalence of overweight and obesity, because they relied on
self-report of height and weight. Data were collected either by face-to-face interview (1989/90 and 1995 surveys)
or telephone interview (1997 and 1998 surveys), rather than by physical measurement.
A study of the accuracy of 1995 National Health Survey data found that self-report underestimated the true
prevalence of overweight and obesity by 12 per cent for males and 11 per cent for females (Australian Bureau of
Statistics, 1999). A small validation of 1997 NSW Health Survey data in western Sydney reported even larger
discrepancies, with the prevalence of overweight and obesity being underestimated by 23 per cent for men and
15 per cent for women (Flood et al. 2000). Respondents in telephone interviews may report their height and weight
less accurately than in face-to-face interviews because they cannot be seen by the interviewer.
NSW Health Department targets for the year 2000 were to reduce the proportion of adults who are overweight or
obese to 40 per cent for men and 25 per cent for women (NSW Health Department, 1995).
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For more information:
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Australian Bureau of Statistics. How Australians measure up. Catalogue no. 4359.0. Canberra: ABS, 1999.
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Flood V, Webb K, Lazarus R, Pang G. Use of self-report to monitor overweight and obesity in populations: some issues for consideration.
Aust J Public Health 2000; 24: 96-99.
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Martin S, Macoun E. Food and nutrition: Directions for NSW 1996-2000. State Health Publication
No. (HP) 96-0116. Sydney: NSW Health Department, 1996.
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National Health and Medical Research Council. Acting on Australia’s weight: A strategic plan for the prevention of
overweight and obesity. Canberra: NHMRC, 1997.
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NSW Health Department. Coronary heart disease: NSW goals and targets and strategies for health gain.
State Health Publication no. (PHD) 95-0110. Sydney: NSW Health Department, 1995.
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Print version:
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Although this page can be printed directly from your Web browser,
a higher quality version of this entire page (graph, table and text)
is available as an Acrobat PDF file which can be printed or viewed on screen
using free software.
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Copyright notice:
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This work is copyright NSW Health Department, 2000. It may be reproduced
in whole or in part, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source. Commercial usage or sale is prohibited.
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Downloadable files:
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The data contained in the table on this page are available for download as a CSV file which can be
imported into many software packages, and the graph is available for download as an
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file which can be imported into most word processing,
presentation and graphics software packages.
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Suggested citation:
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Public Health Division, The Health of the people of New South Wales -
Report of the Chief Health Officer. NSW Health Department, Sydney, 2000. Available at:
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/chorep/beh_obestrd.htm. Accessed (insert date of access).
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Produced by:
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Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch,
Public Health Division,
NSW Health Department.
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Last updated on:
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31 July 2000
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