One in three Aussie kids now obese, according to new study

AUSSIE children are fatter than ever before, risking their health and putting a huge strain on the system, new research suggests.

A study published on Friday on obesity in Australian children has revealed more than 30,000 may be considered severely obese, and the problem appears to have grown significantly in the past two decades.

Associate Professor Sarah Garnett from the The Children’s Hospital at Westmead’s Institute of Endocrinology said the proportion of obese children in the severe category jumped from one in five in 1995 to one in three in 2012.

Severely obese children have an adult equivalent body mass index of 35 or over, well above the healthy BMI cut-off of 25. It’s the first time scientists have crunched the numbers on severe childhood obesity in Australia and Associate Professor Garnett said the figures were worrying.

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