Data around Childhood Obesity

Epidemiological data underscores the severity of this issue. As of 2022, one in four (25%) Australian children aged 5–11 were classified as overweight or obese (AIHW, 2023), with obesity rates higher among boys (28%) than girls (22%). This represents a threefold increase since 1985 and closely mirrors the rise in household screen-based technology and dual-income families. The economic burden of obesity in Australia is estimated at $11.8 billion annually, due to the costs of chronic disease treatment, productivity loss, and early mortality (Obesity Evidence Hub, 2022). Furthermore, studies show that children who exceed two hours of screen time daily are 1.6 times more likely to be overweight than those who remain within the recommended limits (Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2021).