Back to Trends

Trends: Children

Diet and physical activity in Australian children

Last updated 25-06-2024

Few Australian children are meeting guidelines for the recommended daily intake of vegetables, with a high proportion of total daily energy intake coming from discretionary foods and many children exceeding recommended limits for consumption of added sugars. The proportion of children meeting physical activity recommendations declined in line with age.

Key Evidence

01

4.6% of Australian children were consuming the recommended daily intake of vegetables 2022–23

02

67.8% of 14 to 17-year-old boys consumed sugar-sweetened beverages at least weekly in 2020–21

03

16.6% of 9 to 13-year-olds were doing sufficient physical activity in 2011–12

Fruit and vegetable intake

Overall, 63.9% of children aged 2 to 17 years met the guidelines for recommended daily serves of fruit, while 4.6% met the guidelines for serves of vegetables in 2022–23. Only 4.3% of children met both guidelines, although this varied by age group.1

Fruit and vegetable intake

Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey 2022. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/national-health-survey/2022

Met fruit recommendation Met veg recommendation

Discretionary food intake

Percentage of total daily energy intake from discretionary food

Discretionary foods are high in energy but low in nutrients and are not needed to meet nutrient requirements. On average, about one-third of total daily energy in 2011–12 in the diets of Australian children was from discretionary foods. The proportion increased with children’s age, with discretionary foods accounting for 30% of total energy intake among 2 to 3-year-olds; 38% for 4 to 8-year-olds; 40% for 9 to 13-year-olds; and 41% for 14 to 18-year-olds.2 Key contributors to children’s discretionary food intake include sweet biscuits, cakes and muffins, chocolate, snack foods, fried potato products, ice cream and pastries.2

Percentage of total daily energy intake from discretionary food

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

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.

Total daily energy intake from discretionary foods

Free sugars above recommended intake

A large proportion of Australian children exceed the World Health Organization’s recommended limits on energy from free sugars. Free sugars are sugars added to foods by manufacturers or consumers, and those naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices. The WHO recommends limiting energy from free sugars to less than 10% of daily energy intake (around 12 teaspoons).3 In 2011–12, the proportion of Australian children exceeding the WHO recommendation for free sugar intake varied by age group.2

Free sugars above recommended intake

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Nutrition across the life stages. Canberra, Australia 2018. Supplementary table 19.

Proportion with intakes of free sugars ≥ 10% energy intake

Average intake of added sugars

Boys aged 14 to 18 years had the highest average intake of added sugars in 2011–12. Average intake of added sugars increased with age, and boys consumed more added sugars than girls in all age groups. Added sugars are those added to foods by manufacturers or consumers, excluding those naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices.4

Average intake of added sugars

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4364.0.55.011 - Australian Health Survey: Consumption of added sugars, 2011-12. 2016. Table 1.1
Note: Converted from grams (divided by 4) and rounded to nearest teaspoon.

Age group Boys (teaspoons) Girls (teaspoons)
2-3 years 8 8
4-8 years 13 11
9-13 years 17 15
14-18 years 21 16

Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption

Frequency of consuming sugar sweetened beverages

Among children and adolescents aged 2–17 years, boys consumed sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) slightly more frequently than girls in 2020–21. Overall, 20.7% of children and adolescents consumed SSBs at least weekly, and 3.4% consumed them daily.5

Frequency of consuming sugar sweetened beverages

Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey 2020-21: Dietary Behaviour. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/dietary-behaviour/2020-21

Note: Includes soft drink, cordials, sports drinks or caffeinated energy drinks. May include soft drinks in ready to drink alcoholic beverages. Excludes fruit juice, flavoured milk, 'sugar free' drinks, or coffee/tea. The National Health Survey 2020-21 was collected online during the COVID-19 pandemic and is a break in time series. Data should be used for point-in-time analysis only and can’t be compared to previous years.

Boys Girls Total

Proportion of children who do not usually consume sugar-sweetened beverages

The majority of children aged 2 to 3 years (94.6%) did not usually consume any SSBs, but consumption increases with age, peaking among those aged 14–17 years, among whom only 54.6% did not consume SSBs.

Proportion of children who do not usually consume sugar-sweetened beverages

Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey 2020-21: Dietary Behaviour. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/dietary-behaviour/2020-21

Note: Includes soft drink, cordials, sports drinks or caffeinated energy drinks. May include soft drinks in ready to drink alcoholic beverages. Excludes fruit juice, flavoured milk, 'sugar free' drinks, or coffee/tea. The National Health Survey 2020-21 was collected online during the COVID-19 pandemic and is a break in time series. Data should be used for point-in-time analysis only and can’t be compared to previous years.

Do not usually consume sugar-sweetened beverages

Physical activity

In 2011–12, the proportion of children who did sufficient physical activity declined with age, with 74.9% of children aged 2 to 3 years; 42.8% of children aged 4 to 8; 16.6% of children aged 9 to 13; and 16.2% of children aged 14 to 18 doing sufficient physical activity.2

Physical activity snapshot

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Nutrition across the life stages. Canberra, Australia 2018. Supplementary table 29.

For 2-4 years, sufficient physical activity is classified as at least 180 minutes a day for seven consecutive days; and for 5–18 years, at least 60 minutes a day for seven consecutive days.

Sufficient physical activity

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. 4364.0.55.012 - Australian Health Survey: Consumption of Food Groups from the Australian Dietary Guidelines, 2011-12. 2016. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Nutrition across the life stages. Canberra, Australia 2018. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports
3. World Health Organization. Sugars intake for adults and children: guideline. Geneva, Switzerland 2015. https://www.who.int/nutrition/
4. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4364.0.55.011 - Australian Health Survey: Consumption of added sugars, 2011-12. 2017. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/...
5. Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey 2020-21: Dietary behaviour. . 2022; Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/dietary-behaviour/2020-21.