Australians smoking less but getting fat

Australia’s latest national health survey has indicated that the country’s smoking incidence has declined by about seven percent since 2011-2012, according to a story by Greg Jericho for The Guardian, relayed by the TMA.

The number of ex-smokers in Australia is now nearly double the number of its current smokers.

The survey of 14,700 households indicate that the number of smokers declined from 2.8 million in 2011-12 to 2.6 million today; or from 16.1 percent of the adult population to 14.5 percent.

The biggest drop, from 18.3 percent to 12.8 percent, occurred among young men.

The smoking rate for men aged 25-44 was said to have ‘remained relatively unchanged’.

The smoking rate is now lower among women aged 25-34 and 35-44 than it is among those aged 18-24.

In other areas, the health message seems to be taking longer to get through. Only 50 percent of adults reported getting two of the recommended daily servings of fruit, and only 9.3 percent reported eating 5-6 servings of vegetables every day.

Only 35 percent of adults were within the normal weight range, while nearly two-thirds were considered to be overweight or obese.