Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated as weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of height (in metres).

For adults, obesity is defined as a BMI of greater than or equal to 30.00 and overweight is defined as a BMI of 25.00–29.99.

For children, obesity is defined as a BMI (appropriate for age and sex) that is likely to be 30.00 or more at age 18 years, and overweight is defined as a BMI (appropriate for age and sex) that is likely to be 25.00–29.99 at age 18 years, based on centile curves. See ABS National Health Survey: Users' Guide Electronic Publication, 2007–08 (ABS Catalogue no. 4363.0.55.001) for BMI values.

Rates are directly age-standardised to the 2001 Australian population.

Excludes pregnant women where identified and people with an unknown BMI.

Analysis by remoteness and Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) is based on usual residence of person.

Presented as a percentage.

95% confidence intervals and relative standard errors calculated for rates.

100 × (Numerator ÷ Denominator)

Calculated separately for adults and children.

Adults: Number of persons aged 18 years or over who are obese or overweight.

Children: Number of persons aged 5–17 years who are obese or overweight.

Adults: Population aged 18 years or over

Children: Population aged 5–17 years

2011–12 (previously supplied)—For each of adults and children, state and territory, by:

• sex by age (adults only)   
• Indigenous status (non-Indigenous only)
• remoteness (Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Remoteness Structure)
• 2011 Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) quintiles
• BMI category (underweight, normal, overweight, obese)
• disability status

2011–12 (previously supplied)—For adults, nationally, by:

• sex by remoteness (ASGS Remoteness Structure)
• 2011 SEIFA IRSD deciles
• remoteness (ASGS Remoteness Structure) by 2011 SEIFA IRSD deciles.

2011–13 (updated for full AATSIHS)—For each of adults and children, state and territory, by:

• Indigenous status (Indigenous only)

Some disaggregation may result in numbers too small for publication.

Most recent data available for 2015 National Healthcare Agreement (NHA) performance reporting: 2011–12 (total population, non-Indigenous: AHS); 2012–13 (Indigenous only: AATSIHS).

2011–13 data are based on measured height and weight. BMI derived from measured height and weight is preferable to that derived from self-reported height and weight.

2004–05 data are based on self-reported height and weight and are not comparable to 2011–13 data.

National Healthcare Agreement: PB d-Better health: by 2018, increase by five percentage points the proportion of Australian adults and children at a healthy body weight, over the 2009 baseline, 2015

NPA on Preventive Health

15(a): Increase in proportion of children at unhealthy weight held at less than five per cent from baseline for each state by 2013; proportion of children at healthy weight returned to baseline levels by 2015.

15(d): Increase in proportion of adults at unhealthy weight held at less than five per cent from baseline for each state by 2013; proportion of adults at healthy weight returned to baseline levels by 2015.

Specification: Final, the measure meets the intention of the indicator.