(Australian Associated Press)

A LOOK AT AUSTRALIA’S HEALTH IN 2018

– Two-thirds of adult Australians are overweight

– More than one-quarter of children are overweight or obese

– More than 99 per cent of children and 96 per cent of adults do not eat the recommended amount of vegetables

– Australians do not exercise enough, with 92 per cent of teenagers not doing the recommended amount for their age

– On an average day there are 850 births, 440 deaths, 380 cancer diagnoses and 170 heart attacks

– On an average day there are 406,000 GP visits and 777,000 prescriptions under the PBS

Of OECD countries, Australia has the fifth highest life expectancy at birth for males, and the eighth highest for females

– We’re expected to live about 33 years longer than people born in 1890

– Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for males, followed by lung cancer, and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

– Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of death for females, followed by coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease

– One woman per week and one man per month is killed at the hands of a current or previous partner

– Indigenous Australians are 2.1 times as likely to die before their fifth birthday and 2.7 times as likely to experience high or very high levels of psychological distress

(Source: Australia’s Health 2018, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)