Health burdens of obesity and smoking now ‘on a par’
Gap narrows between obesity and tobacco use as smoking rates drop: AIHW report
Obesity may soon overtake smoking as the risk factor contributing the most to the burden of disease in Australia, latest figures suggest.
The gap between the two has been narrowing over the past 15 years, driven by reductions in the number of people smoking, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare findings.
Risk factors contributing the most to the burden of disease in 2018 were tobacco use (8.6%) and overweight and obesity (8.4%).
Others included dietary risks (5.4%), high blood pressure (5.1%) and alcohol use (4.5%).
