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Obesity

Globesity is the global epidemic of obesity described by the World Health Organisation as one of the most blatantly visible, yet most neglected, public health problems that threatens to overwhelm both developed and less developed countries [R1]. In Australia more than half (54%) of all adults or 7.4 million people aged 18 years and over were either overweight or obese in 2004-5 [R2].

2005, in NSW, a greater proportion of males (57.5%) than females (42.3%) were classified as overweight or obese [R3]. Even in the group aged 16-24 years, young adult males (YAMs) were significantly more overweight or obese (31.4%) than females (21.6%). However YAMs consult general practitioners less often [R4 ], use Medicare services at less than half the rate of young adult females [R5].