A survey carried out by the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre and School of Human Movement Studies at The University of Queensland has found more than one in five Queensland children are overweight or obese.
The Healthy Kids Queensland Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey was conducted for Queensland Health and measures the nutrition, physical activity and weight among school-aged children in 2006.
Queensland Health Minister, Stephen Robertson, released details of the study this week. He said the survey was the first state-wide study of child nutrition in Queensland since a national survey in 1995.
"The survey shows that Queensland - like the rest of Australia - is experiencing an epidemic of unhealthy weight and obesity among children," he said.
"Overall, 21% of Queensland children aged 5 - 17 years are overweight or obese; including 19.5% of boys and 22.7% of girls.
"However, generally obesity rates in Queensland children were about 3% lower than in kids in New South Wales and Western Australia where comparable surveys have been done."
Mr Robertson said he was concerned by the rates of obesity in children and the impact on their future health.
"We know that excess weight is now the main cause of preventable chronic disease in Queensland," he said.
"Overweight and obesity contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, arthritis and some mental health problems."
The survey's key findings included:
• There are more severely obese children and young people today than 20 years ago.
• Children are not eating enough fruit and vegetables with half of the sample consuming less than one serve of vegetables a day;
• Fewer than one in six boys, and one in 15 girls, reported doing at least one hour of moderate physical activity everyday in the week;
• Many children had inadequate intakes of iron and calcium; too many weren't drinking enough milk, too many drank soft drink; and too many ate fatty and sugary snack foods; and
• Average intakes of saturated fat were 45% higher than levels recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
In total, 3,691 children attending Years 1, 5 and 10 from 72 government and non-government schools across Queensland participated in the survey.
A copy of the Healthy Kids Queensland Survey is available under What's New at www.health.qld.gov.au.
The Children’s Nutrition Research Centre is proudly supported by the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Media inquiries: UQ Health Sciences Faculty Communications Officer, Marlene McKendry - 0401 99 6847.
