As the population ages, the demand on health care services will continue to rise. The ways in which health and social care services are funded and delivered to older individuals need to be addressed to meet future demands.

This report provides further information on physical inactivity as a risk factor for disease burden in Australia. It includes a revised list of diseases linked to physical inactivity, updated estimates of their association, and a broader definition of physical activity.

In Australia, deaths as a result of dementia have now taken over cerebrovascular disease as the second leading cause of death. At present, over a quarter million Australians suffer from dementia and projected estimates indicate that the figure can reach a high of nearly one million by 2050. Diet and physical activity have been shown...