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Trends: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Obesity, diet and physical activity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults

Last updated 24-11-2023

A higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults live with overweight or obesity, compared to non-Indigenous Australians. Similar to the rest of the Australian population, few Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people meet dietary recommendations for intake of healthy foods or physical activity.

Key Evidence

01

76.8% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults were living with overweight or obesity in 2018–19, compared to 66.3% of non-Indigenous adults in Australia (age-standardised)

02

49.1% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were living with obesity, compared to 29.2% of non-Indigenous women (age-standardised) in 2018–19

03

42.4% of total daily energy intake for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 19 to 30-year-olds was from discretionary foods in 2011–13

04

8.7% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women aged 18–24 in non-remote areas were meeting physical activity guidelines in 2018–19

Overweight and obesity among Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults

In 2018–19, more than three-quarters (76.8%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 18 years and over had either overweight (29.6%) or obesity (47.2%), when standardised for age to reflect differences in the age structure of the population.1

Overweight and obesity by indigenous status

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4715.0 - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018-19. Table 18.3

Note: Adults aged 18 years and over. Proportions have been age standardised to the 2001 Australian Estimated Resident Population to account for differences in the age structure of the two populations.

Indigenous Non-indigenous

Overweight and obesity among Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults by gender

In 2018–19, a similar proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and non-Indigenous women lived with overweight, but a higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were living with obesity.1 When compared to non-Indigenous men, fewer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men were living with overweight, but more had obesity.


Weight status: women

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4715.0 - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018-19. Table 18.3

Note: Adults aged 18 years and over. Proportions have been age-standardised to the 2001 Australian Estimated Resident Population to account for differences in the age structure of the two populations.

Indigenous Non-indigenous

Weight status: men

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4715.0 - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018-19. Table 18.3

Note: Adults aged 18 years and over. Proportions have been age-standardised to the 2001 Australian Estimated Resident Population to account for differences in the age structure of the two populations.

Indigenous Non-indigenous

Diet

Few Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults met dietary recommendations for intake of fruit and vegetables in 2018–19 and most younger adults consumed sugar-sweetened beverages at least weekly.1 Figures from 2011–13 show that a high percentage of daily energy intake was from discretionary food.3

Fruit and vegetable consumption by serve and age group

In 2018–19, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults’ usual daily consumption of fruit and vegetables varied by age group.1

Fruit and vegetable consumption by serve and age group

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2020). 4715.0 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018–19. Canberra, Australia. Table 16.3
National Health and Medical Research Council's 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend a minimum number of serves of fruit and vegetables each day, depending on a person's age and sex, to ensure good nutrition and health.

Serves 18–24 years 25–34 years 35–44 years 45–54 years 55+ years
Fruit
Less than 1 serve 30.7 28.2 34.1 35.0 28.9
1 serve 27.7 34.7 30.8 32.3 26.2
2 serves 23.1 24.1 23.7 21.0 25.4
3 serves 12.9 8.9 8.7 6.5 11.4
4 serves 2.0 3.3 1.2 2.8 5.0
5+ serves 2.4 0.8 1.6 2.3 2.3
Vegetables
Less than 1 serve 20.6 14.8 13.7 13.7 14.2
1 serve 31.5 28.1 28.0 32.6 26.8
2 serves 24.6 26.8 26.6 23.7 23.3
3 serves 12.1 15.6 16.8 18.2 18.8
4 serves 7.2 9.0 9.4 5.9 9.0
5+ serves 4.8 5.6 5.5 6.4 7.3

Adequate daily fruit and vegetable consumption by age group

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2020). 4715.0 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018–19. Canberra, Australia. Table 16.3
National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend a minimum number of serves of fruit and vegetables each day, depending on a person's age and sex, to ensure good nutrition and health.

Consumption 18–24 years 25–34 years 35–44 years 45–54 years 55+years
Adequate daily fruit consumption 41.6 37.0 35.0 32.5 44.5
Adequate daily vegetable consumption 2.5 4.0 4.3 4.9 5.3
Adequate daily fruit and daily vegetable consumption 1.8 1.8 2.3 2.8 3.7
Inadequate daily fruit and vegetable consumption 98.2 98.5 97.4 97.1 96.0

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by age group

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2020). 4715.0 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018–19. Canberra, Australia. Table 16.3

Note: Includes soft drink, cordials, sports drinks and caffeinated energy drinks.

18–24 years 25–34 years 35–44 years 45–54 years 55+ years

Percentage of total daily energy intake from discretionary food

Discretionary food made a greater contribution to the total energy intake of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, compared to non-Indigenous adults in 2011–13.3 Discretionary foods are high in energy but low in nutrients and are not needed to meet nutrient requirements.

Percentage of total daily energy intake from discretionary food

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Nutrition across the life stages. Canberra, Australia 2018. Supplementary table S17

Note: The Australian Dietary Guidelines Summary lists examples of discretionary choices as including: most sweet biscuits, cakes, desserts and pastries; processed meats and sausages; ice-cream; confectionery and chocolate; savoury pastries and pies; commercial burgers; commercially fried foods; potato chips, crisps and other fatty and/or salty snack foods; cream, butter and spreads which are high in saturated fats; sugar sweetened soft drinks and cordials, sports and energy drinks and alcoholic drinks.

Indigenous Non-indigenous

Proportion of energy from added sugars

Intake of added sugars was higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults than non-Indigenous Australians in 2011–13.3 Added sugars are those added to foods by manufacturers or consumers, excluding those naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices. The World Health Organization recommends limiting energy from free sugars to less than 10% of daily energy intake.4 Note that the WHO recommendation relates to ‘free sugars’, which is a broader category including those naturally present, and total intakes of free sugars are likely to be higher than implied by the ‘added sugar’ data provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Proportion of energy from added sugars

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Nutrition across the life stages. Canberra, Australia 2018, Supplementary table S20

Indigenous Non-indigenous

Physical activity

In 2018–19, 13.2% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and 10.1% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women living in non-remote areas met the guidelines for sufficient physical activity. In remote areas, more than half of adults did more than 30 minutes of physical activity on the day prior to interview in 2012–13, while around one in five had not done any physical activity.

Physical activity in non-remote areas

Few Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults living in non-remote areas met physical activity guidelines in 2018–19.1

Physical activity in non-remote areas

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2020). 4715.0 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018–19. Canberra, Australia. Table 21.3
For 18 to 64-year-olds, sufficient physical activity is defined as 150 minutes from five or more sessions per week using walking for fitness/transport, moderate and/or vigorous physical activity, with strength or toning activities on at least two days.

Activity 18–24 years 25–34 years 35–44 years 45–54 years 55+ years
Men
Met guidelines 15.4 15.5 10.5 11.4 13.3
Did not meet guidelines 85.7 84.9 89.2 90.6 86.7
Women
Met guidelines 8.7 10.3 8.1 12.0 9.9
Did not meet guidelines 89.9 89.7 92.5 86.8 90.8

Physical activity in remote areas

In remote areas, 55.1% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults did more than 30 minutes of physical activity on the previous day, when surveyed in 2012–13. One in five (20.9%) did not participate in any physical activity on the day prior to interview, and one in five (20.2%) did less than 30 minutes of physical activity.5

Physical activity in remote areas

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4727.0.55.004 - Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Physical Activity, 2012-13. 2014.

No activity Less than 30 minutes More than 30 minutes

Content for this page was written by Melanie Nichols, Deakin University and reviewed by Kathryn Backholer and Gary Sacks, Co-Directors at the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition at Deakin University. For more information about the approach to content on the site please see About | Obesity Evidence Hub.

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018–19. . 2020; Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4715.0 - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018-19. Table 18.3
3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Nutrition across the life stages. Canberra, Australia 2018. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports
4. World Health Organization. Sugars intake for adults and children: guideline. Geneva, Switzerland 2015. https://www.who.int/nutrition/
5. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Updated Results, 2012–13. 2014; Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4727.0.55.006.