Overweight and obesity are major public health issues in Australia, associated with significant risk for chronic disease, and large costs for the health system. It is important to monitor overweight and obesity to describe existing health patterns, populations at risk, current health service use, and future demands on the health and welfare system.

This report assesses the potential for existing data sources to improve our understanding of overweight and obesity. Although many of the data sources identified were not designed primarily for monitoring overweight and obesity, they do contain relevant data.