Obesity and hypertension in Australian young people: Results from the Australian Health Survey 2011 to 2012

Background Few studies have focused on the prevalence of obesity and hypertension among young people (ages 15 to 24).. Aim To characterise the prevalence of obesity and systolic hypertension in young people aged 15 to 24 years across Australia.. Methods Using data from the 2011-2012 Australian Health Survey, a national cross-sectional population-based survey, we included 2 163 young people aged 15 to 24 years. Risk factors were estimated using multinomial logistic regression. Results The prevalence of obesity increased from 8% to 15% through the ages of 15 to 24 among males, but the prevalence of overweight and obesity were both 14% for females across all age groups. Low levels of physical activity were a strong risk factor for obesity for both males (odds ratio 5.95, 95% confidence intervals (CI)1.83 to 19.36) and females (OR 3.20 95% CI 0.69 to 14.87). Low socioeconomic status was associated with obesity among females only (1st quintile OR 4.65, 95% CI 1.97 to 10.99). Although the prevalence of hypertension was low (4% males, 3% females), the prevalence of high normal blood pressure was substantial, especially among males (28% males, 14% females). Conclusions Overweight, obesity and high normal blood pressure were highly prevalent among Australian young people. Low levels of physical activity were identified as a risk factor for obesity for both male and females. Programs targeting physical activity participation may need to be tailored differently for males and females, with a focus on females during early adolescence but early adult life for males.