National health survey: summary of results, 2007-08

• Australian Bureau of Statistics

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13 May 2009The National Health Survey of 2007-08 examines the key health issues in Australia. Some of the key health risk factors highlighted in this report are obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking.
Overweight and Obesity
More adult Australians were overweight or obese in 2007-08 compared with 1995.

The 2007-08 National Health Survey has for the first time since 1995 measured the exact height and weight of adults and children. Using the Body Mass Index (BMI) approach, the ABS found that 68% of adult men and 55% of adult women were overweight or obese. This is an increase over 12 years as only 64% of men and 49% of women were overweight or obese in 1995.

When looking at the age pattern of obesity in adults, the highest proportion who were overweight or obese were in the middle to older age groups (peaking at 65-74 years of age - 79% for men, and 55-64 years for women – 68%).

For children, there was a significant increase in the proportion who are obese from 5.2% in 1995 to 7.8% in 2007/8. The proportion of boys who were obese more than doubled from 4.5% to 9.7% while girls remained unchanged at 5.8%.

Alcohol consumption
Approximately 68% of men and 51% of women consumed alcohol in the week prior to the 2007-08 National Health Survey. Most of these adults (79%) consumed alcohol at a level that poses a low health risk.

However, approximately 13% of adults in 2007-08 consumed alcohol at a level, which if continued, would place them at significantly increased health risk. This is a slight reduction from the level measured in 2004-05 when 14% of adults were in this risk group.

When looking at the age pattern of high risk drinking, the highest proportion in men was recorded for those aged 25-34 and 55-64 (both at 17%). While for women the age groups with the highest proportions were 45-54 and 55-64 where 13% were drinking at high or risky levels.

In children, the ABS found that 24% of 15-17 year old boys and 16% of girls had consumed alcohol in the week prior to the survey. This is the first time the National Health Survey has focussed on children’s alcohol consumption. Of those children who drank in the week prior to the survey, 5.9% of boys and 6.6% of girls did so at a risky or high risk level.

Smoking
One in five adults (20%) were current smokers in 2007/8 which was down from 23% in 2004/5. More men than women were current smokers (22% and 18% respectively). The proportion of smokers was highest in the 25-34 age group for males (33%) and for women in the age groups of 25-34 and 35-44 years (22%).

Children aged 15-17 were asked the smoking questions for the first time in the 2007/8 NHS. The survey found that 7% of children in this age group currently smoke and 66% of these were males.