Obesity stunting life expectancy improvements as rate of increase falls

Preventable conditions such as obesity are stunting the improvement of life expectancy across Australia, according to a new report from the University of Melbourne.

The report reveals that after 20 years of rapid increases in life expectancy at birth, the rate of increase has fallen, now trailing most other high-income nations.

Published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, the report found that while life expectancy in Australia is still among the highest in world, that growth is slowing largely to an increase in cardiovascular disease mortality.

Principal Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne Dr Adair explained that life expectancy is still increasing, however the rate of growth of life expectancy is slowing significantly.

Obesity, Heart Disease and Stroke are the leading causes of the life expectancy rate slowing.

“It was not all bad news, Dr Adair shared “the likelihood of living to the age of 80 has now reached a 68 Per cent chance, compared to a 29 per cent chance just one generation ago,” Dr Adair told radio station 3AW.

The report also noted that other high-income countries have greater scope for reducing the prevalence of smoking and related health issues, an area in which Australia has already been successful.

“Our high global ranking with regard to life expectancy at birth is unlikely to be maintained unless new strategies for reducing mortality associated with specific behaviours are developed and deployed effectively,” the report concluded.