How serious is childhood obesity in Australia?
Mehta: It is at crisis levels. One in four children is overweight or obese in Australia. The numbers doubled between 1985 and 1995, and the rate appears to be rising at about 1% per year. Experts are predicting that at this rate, by 2030 fifty percent of children will be overweight or obese. 2. What are the health risks these children face? Mehta: Obesity is a risk factor for Type 2 or mature onset diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is traditionally seen in people who are 45 plus and who are overweight, but we are seeing this in children as young as 12. There is a high personal cost, and a high community cost for treating diabetes. We are also seeing children with high blood pressure and raised blood cholesterol which are both risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Obesity is also associated with arthritis, sleep apnea, gout, and a whole lot of sociological factors associated with low self esteem, bullying and so on. 3. What has led to this crisis? Mehta: At its core, obesity is a problem of
