HONG KONG -

 

 

 

The astonishing speed with which Australians are adding weight has enabled the country to clam an unsavory title: fattest country among the world's major economies.

 

 

 

Quietly but surely, more than a quarter of the Australian adult population, 26% of its 15.1 million, has become obese, compared with 25% in the United States, according to a comprehensive survey, titled "Australias Future Fat Bomb," released Friday by the Melbourne-based Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. That would put Australia, a nation associated in the popular imagination with sports and outdoor activity, ahead of America as the world's fattest major country.

 

 

 

The percentage translates into almost 4 million people. Add another 5.4 million Australians who are overweight, and nearly 62% of the Australian adult population is above the threshold of a desirable weight range, a staggering figure.

 

 

 

"If there was a fat Olympics, we would be the gold medal nation," Simon Stewart, head of preventative cardiology at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, was quoted by The Age as saying. "Every American I have met visiting Australia in the last couple of months says, 'Gee, you've overtaken us. You have more fat Australians than we have fat Americans,' and they are right."

 

 

 

Only last year, Australia was well behind the United States in the world index of fattest countries.

 

 

 

The latest results show Australia adding 1 million obese adults since the last such comprehensive survey was done, in 1999. The middle-aged cohort, between 45 and 64, is at particularly high risk. Seven out of 10 men, and six out of 10 women, in this age range are either overweight or obese. The institute estimated that the expansion of middle-aged waistlines will result in an extra 700,000 hospital admissions owing to cardiovascular-related diseases, for a total additional health care cost of 6 billion Australian dollars ($5.71 billion).

 

 

 

The survey identifies adult males, children, indigenous Australians and those lower on the socioeconomic scale, particularly those from rural and regional areas of Australia, as most at risk. These various groups commonly tend to indulge in overconsumption of food while engaging in less physical activity.

 

 

 

http://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/06/20/australian-obesity-survey-markets-equity-cx_jc_0620markets06.html

Australia!?! Like the most random country to become fat.

I couldn't wait for people to stop calling us the fattest nation on Earth, and now it's true :thumbsup:

Maybe best not to throw another shrimp on the barbie then...

Wow. never saw that coming. But you know that everyone who believes america deserves the title will say "its only 1%" and "australia has less people". and watch, now americans will see this and think its safe to be fat again and consume food more and take #1 next year. after all, america has more fat people than australia has people :| . although this is still cool news to show off to the people who will stereotype america as consisting of 99% fat people.

Lol we'll be back at the top soon the way the beach here looks :o

Well higher percent... bla bla bla. Still it's tons of obese people in the states compared to Australia.

There's still more Obese adults in America than there is Adults in Australia so good ol' America still keeps the title of Fatland for me 8-)

There's still more Obese adults in America than there is Adults in Australia so good ol' America still keeps the title of Fatland for me 8-)

 

When you consider half of Australia's uninhabitable, and the population of America is some 15x that of Australia, that's a bit unfair. :P

Yea, Australia wins percentage-wise, but USA wins when it's actual people...

There's still more Obese adults in America than there is Adults in Australia so good ol' America still keeps the title of Fatland for me 8-)

 

When you consider half of Australia's uninhabitable, and the population of America is some 15x that of Australia, that's a bit unfair. :P

 

 

 

Shhhhh, continue to abuse the Americans Ginger

Just goes to show sports like Tennis and Cricket aren't enough of a physical activity to lose weight.

 

 

 

Percentage wise, and the actual numbers can't be compared. Doesn't matter if there's 15x more in the population, it's the same in percentage, just the actual number hasn't been reduced to fit on the same scale. Can't believe how many people are ignorantly saying that America is still the fattest simply because they have more people. If we wanted to go by that logic, America is also the smartest, and also the skinniest - Excludes China.

Yea, Australia wins percentage-wise, but USA wins when it's actual people...

 

Thanks Captain Obvious.

 

 

 

I'm sure it's an unknown fact that the US has more than 10x the population of Australia :thumbup:

OH comon, I am going to study abroad to Sydney to meet some hot chicks, now i find out a bunch of them will be fat. Not cool man, not cool.

 

 

 

I always thought it would be China that will be overtaking America, don't they have like the highest rate of obesity amongst like children or something? Whatever.

OH comon, I am going to study abroad to Sydney to meet some hot chicks, now i find out a bunch of them will be fat. Not cool man, not cool.

 

 

 

I always thought it would be China that will be overtaking America, don't they have like the highest rate of obesity amongst like children or something? Whatever.

 

 

 

Aren't they starving there? The adults are too overworked to have the chance to be obese I guess

OH comon, I am going to study abroad to Sydney to meet some hot chicks, now i find out a bunch of them will be fat. Not cool man, not cool.

 

 

 

I always thought it would be China that will be overtaking America, don't they have like the highest rate of obesity amongst like children or something? Whatever.

 

 

 

Aren't they starving there? The adults are too overworked to have the chance to be obese I guess

 

I think I saw a show about the fattest babies, on Discovery or something. I guess they have some growing problem there because standard of living is getting higher in the big cities. ANyway I am not too sure, could have been another asian country.

Maybe best not to throw another shrimp on the barbie then...

 

i guess itll be a cold day in hell before people stop with the shrimp on tha barbie joke...

 

 

 

 

 

im an aussie and im not fat >.<

If you go by the "America still has more fat people", wouldn't that mean it would also be the smartest, fittest, etc?

 

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First of all I was being sarcastic, and what have the Irish done that has made the world dislike them? Can't think of anything tbh, no need for derogatory names as well :roll:

If you go by the "America still has more fat people", wouldn't that mean it would also be the smartest, fittest, etc?

 

Logic only works if an American isn't using it, apparently.

 

 

 

 

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First of all I was being sarcastic, and what have the Irish done that has made the world dislike them? Can't think of anything tbh, no need for derogatory names as well :roll:

 

Welcome to being an American.

 

 

 

Oh, you guys have a lot of red hair. Horrible, horrible people.

Yeah I read that the other day I wasn't surprised really did a paper on it a couple of years ago.

 

 

 

Oh well I still think Aussies are the most laid back people ;)

Yeah I read that the other day I wasn't surprised really did a paper on it a couple of years ago.

 

 

 

Oh well I still think Aussies are the most laid back people ;)

 

I agree with the last part. They're also the best class in Team Fortress Two! :D

 

 

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First of all I was being sarcastic, and what have the Irish done that has made the world dislike them? Can't think of anything tbh, no need for derogatory names as well :roll:

 

Welcome to being an American.

 

 

 

Oh, you guys have a lot of red hair. Horrible, horrible people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The red hair is a stereotype which isn't even true nowadays in Ireland, And it's quite obvious why a lot of the world nowadays dislikes America, it's a 4 letter word, can you guess what it is? :-w

OH comon, I am going to study abroad to Sydney to meet some hot chicks, now i find out a bunch of them will be fat. Not cool man, not cool.

 

 

 

I always thought it would be China that will be overtaking America, don't they have like the highest rate of obesity amongst like children or something? Whatever.

 

Good thing for you the obese adults are close to being retired, or have 3+ kids already. Your target, especially in Sydney will be abundant. The 25+ (I guess) age group is where all the weight is; compared to the youth. Although some of the lil kids lately are larger than some of the adults :uhh:

With our most delicious meat pies and sause in the world and the usual weekend bbq, who could blame us :lol:

 

 

 

Also I'm with Rick here - Most of the obese people you see are adults.

 

 

 

If you look around you won't see many obese children (yes there is some obviously) this generation is actually pretty good.

 

 

 

With obesity becoming the new anti smoking, the next few generations have hope.

 

 

 

Looking deeper in to things like government etc - "baby bonus" and "welfare system - get paid to sit on your [wagon] and do nothing" come to mind.