Living with obesity overtakes tobacco as the new leading risk factor contributing to burden of disease

Being overweight or obese has overtaken tobacco smoking as the leading risk factor contributing to disease burden in 2024. The Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024, released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, estimates the millions of years of healthy life Australians lose because of injury, illness or premature death – measuring over 200 diseases and injuries. Being overweight overtook tobacco use as the leading risk factor in 2024, driven by a 41 per cent fall in the age-standardised rate of total burden attributable to tobacco use since 2003. “This fall is likely due to declines in smoking prevalence and burden rates from some of the major linked diseases, such as lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” AIHW spokeswoman Michelle Gourley said. An estimated 8.3 per cent of total disease burden in 2024 was due to being overweight and 7.6 per cent was due to tobacco use, which excludes vaping use. This was followed by dietary risks and high blood pressure. “While Australians are living longer on average, years lived in ill health are also growing, resulting in little change in the proportion of life spent in full health. This contributes to the growing demand and pressures on the health system and services,” Ms Gourley said. In line with previous years, cancer was the leading group of diseases causing burden in 2024 at 16.4 per cent. Men experienced more total disease burden than women across all age groups. Alcohol use and illicit drug use were the leading risk factors contributing to disease burden for young males aged 15–24, while child abuse and neglect was the leading risk factor contributing to burden for young females of the same age. For young people, mental health conditions and suicide and self-inflicted injuries were the leading contributors of disease burden. For males aged 15–24, suicide and self-inflicted injuries caused the most burden, followed by anxiety disorders and depression. For young females of the same age, the leading causes of burden were anxiety disorders, depression, and eating disorders. In the 5–14 age group, the leading causes of disease burden were autism spectrum disorders and asthma for males, and asthma and anxiety disorders for females. The burden of disease combines the years of healthy life lost due to living with poor health with the years of life lost due to dying prematurely.