July 11th, 2026
AUSactive calls for action over findings that obesity has overtaken smoking as Australia’s leading preventable cause of illness and early death
By Contributor
Government /Marketing /Wellness /Exercise
AUSactive calls for action over findings that obesity has overtaken smoking as Australia’s leading preventable cause of illness and early death
With the newly released Health Report 2026 from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) showing that obesity has overtaken smoking as Australia’s leading preventable cause of illness and early death, AUSactive Chief Executive, Ken Griffin has stated that the data is a huge “wake up call to the government”
With hospital care now taking up most of Australia’s health spend at $113.8 billion a year, Griffin cites that 36% of Australia’s disease burden could be prevented or reduced by tackling risk factors
Griffin explained “Australia cannot build enough hospitals to solve a preventable health crisis
“Our health system was not designed to deal with this. If we’re serious about tackling weight loss, obesity, and chronic disease, our approach needs to change.”
Calling for governments and the health industry to make exercise a standard part of weight loss and chronic disease treatment, Griffin states “the AIHW report confirms we cannot hospital-build our way out of a preventable health crisis” and how the “movement prescription”
“If medication is one prescription, movement needs to be the other. It’s time to formally embed exercise into GLP-1 and chronic disease care pathways.”
AIHW’s 2026 Health report shows:
Hospital care accounts for Australia’s largest area of health spending at $113.8 billion
67% adults are living with overweight or obesity (13.2 million)
27% children and adolescents were living with overweight or obesity (1.4 million)
3 in 5 Australians are living with at least on chronic condition
2 in 5 Australians are living with two or more chronic conditions
Without urgent intervention, previous reports have said Australia will need to build a new 375-bed hospital every month for 15 years just to cope, and expand the health workforce from 11% to 45% of all workers by 2050
The report says ‘sustained and targeted interventions and prevention actions aimed at changing the environments which promote obesity and inhibiting equitable access to care is required to reduce the burden of obesity and related chronic conditions.’
Griffin sees the findings as showing proof a public health campaign is needed, with regular structured exercise embedded into care pathways, noting “the health budget is increasingly becoming a sickness budget
“If we’re serious about tackling weight loss, obesity and chronic disease – medication, medical management, it’s now time to add movement
“Australia has more than 35,000 exercise and active health professionals and more than 8,000 gyms and studios
“Every dollar invested in helping Australians move more today reduces future spending on chronic disease, hospital admissions and disability.”
“It’s time for policymakers to formally embed structured exercise into the health system.”
AUSactive is calling on the government to:
Increase investment in preventive health
Embed accredited exercise professionals across primary care
Expand social prescribing programs
Make physical activity a routine part of chronic disease management
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