Aussie children are fatter than ever before, risking their health and putting a huge strain on the system, new research suggests.
A study published on Friday on obesity in Australian children has revealed more than 30,000 may be considered severely obese, and the problem appears to have grown significantly in the past two decades.
Associate Professor Sarah Garnett from the Westmead Children's Hospital's Institute of Endocrinology said the proportion of obese children in the severe category jumped from one in five in 1995 to one in three in 2012.
Severely obese children have an adult equivalent body mass index of 35 or over, well above the healthy BMI cutoff of 25.
It's the first time scientists have crunched the numbers on severe childhood obesity in Australia and Associate Professor Garnett said the figures were worrying.
"We know (being) overweight and obese is associated with health problems, but children with severe obesity are really at the highest risk of additional problems," she told AAP.
"That includes things like pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, sleep problems, hypertension and other cardiovascular risk."
Very obese youngsters are also more likely to have a poorer quality of life, suffer weight-based victimisation, and die prematurely, Associate Professor Garnett said.
The problem has a genetic component but environmental factors such as diet and exercise play a large role as well.
The professor called for more dedicated weight management services and more research into alternative interventions, while emphasising the importance of preventative measures.
"We should try and make the environment easy for everyone to follow a healthy diet, to undertake physical activity and cut down the amount of time spent in front of the screens."
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