Physical Activity Guidelines by Age Group

The 2014 Physical Activity Guidelines recommend adults perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity each week. This dashboard compares those who met the guideline vs those who did not, across various age groups (15+), using estimates from national health data.

Chart: Physical Activity Compliance by Age

Key Insights

Trend: The majority of individuals across all age groups did not meet physical activity guidelines. Observation: The 25–64 age range has the highest counts failing the recommendation. Exception: Seniors (65+) had a noticeable improvement in adherence.

Takeaway: There’s a critical need to promote active lifestyles among working-age Australians to reduce long-term health risks. Health Impact: With such low compliance rates across working-age populations, targeted interventions are essential to prevent chronic diseases and reduce healthcare burden.

BMI Status Analysis by Demographics

This section analyzes body mass index (BMI) patterns across age groups and gender in Australia. The data examines the prevalence of overweight and obesity status among Australian adults, providing insights into weight-related health risks across different demographic segments.

Chart: BMI Status Distribution by Age and Gender

Key Insights

Age Trends: Obesity prevalence peaks between 45-64 years for both genders, then slightly declines in the 65+ group, suggesting midlife represents the highest risk period. Gender Differences: Men consistently show higher overweight rates across all age groups, while women have comparable obesity rates, particularly in the 35-64 age range.

Young Adult Concern: Despite having the lowest combined rates, 70% of men and 60% of women aged 18-24 are already overweight or obese, indicating BMI issues begin early in adulthood. Critical Population: Midlife adults (30s-60s) face the highest obesity burden, representing a priority group for targeted health interventions and lifestyle modification programs.

Smoking vs Heavy Drinking by Socio-Economic Disadvantage

This analysis examines health risk behaviors—smoking and heavy drinking—across different socio-economic groups in Australia. Based on the 2022 National Health Survey, it reveals how economic disadvantage influences lifestyle choices. The data divides Australia’s population into five groups, from most disadvantaged (first quintile) to least disadvantaged (fifth quintile), showing contrasting patterns between smoking and alcohol consumption habits.

Chart: Smoking vs Heavy Drinking by Socio-Economic Status

Key Insights

Opposite Patterns: Smoking and heavy drinking show completely contrasting trends across socio-economic groups—smoking decreases as advantage increases, while heavy drinking increases. Smoking Reality: Most disadvantaged groups smoke nearly 3 times more than the least disadvantaged (635k vs 214k), highlighting smoking as a major health burden for low-income communities.

Drinking Disparity: Heavy alcohol consumption is highest among affluent groups (839k in fifth quintile vs 510k in first quintile), suggesting different lifestyle patterns between economic classes. Policy Implications: Anti-smoking efforts should focus on disadvantaged communities, while alcohol harm reduction may be more relevant for higher socio-economic areas.