Overweight & obesity

Technological advances and labour saving devices have made Australians and New Zealanders less active at work and in their leisure time. This, coupled with over consumption of convenient, kilojoule-laden foods has made controlling weight extremely difficult.

As a result, obesity (defined as the accumulation of excessive fat in the body and a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 30 for adults) has become a health epidemic for both countries.

Over 3.24 million Australians are estimated to be obese1, and 7 million are overweight (BMI of 25 – 29.92). While in New Zealand, the 2002/03 Health Survey reported that one in five New Zealand adults were obese and one in three were overweight3.

Obesity is having serious effects on health, causing and contributing to a plethora of conditions including urinary incontinence. Both obesity and urinary incontinence occur in their highest levels in women over the age of 454,5. The findings of a study conducted by the South Australian Department of Human Services (2001) demonstrates that: ‘females classified as overweight have a higher prevalence of urinary incontinence than those classified with a normal BMI and that obese people have a higher prevalence of severe urinary incontinence6.’

It is hard to be definitive as to what exactly causes urinary incontinence in obese women (obesity being attributed to numerous health conditions that often co-exist in the one person, such as Type II
diabetes, which has its own unique affect on continence). However, it is widely believed that it is caused by excess weight around the abdomen exerting pressure on the bladder, resulting in stress
urinary incontinence6.

Did you know?

• The total financial cost of obesity in Australia in 2005 was $3.767 billion dollars13.
• In New Zealand, between 1977 – 2003, prevalence of obesity increased by 100% in women and 116% in males14.
• By 2025 a total of 4.2 million Australians are forecast to be obese15.


Incontinence in the overweight and obese (Endnotes) 1 Access Economics The Economic Costs of Obesity, a report Report by Access Economics Pty Limited to Diabetes Australia 2006 2 Australian Institute of Heath and Welfare Website. Viewed 7 February

2007.www.aihw.gov.au/diabetes/world_diabetes_day.cfm 3 Ministry of Health NZ New Zealand Health Survey 2002 - 2003 4 Continence Worldwide Website. Incontinence - Some Key Statistics and Quotes Clarified. Viewed 7 February 2007.

www.continence.org.au/pdf/keystatsquotesmay03.pdf 5 Access Economics The Economic Costs of Obesity, a report by Access Economics Pty Limited to Diabetes Australia 2006 6 South Australian Department of Human Services Population Research and Outcome Studies Brief Report, Relationship between overweight and obesity and incontinence: South Australian Health Omnibus Spring 2001 13 Access Economics The Economic Costs of Obesity 2006 14 Ministry of Health NZ New Zealand Health Survey 2002 - 2003.

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