Fat kids chew up $43.2m

THE expanding waistlines of our children are costing Australian taxpayers $43.2 million a year — not including hospital care — a new study says.

Researchers at Monash University have for the first time calculated the cost of the obesity epidemic among our children aged 6-13, as our kids continue to get bigger.

Unlike previous studies, the landmark research — to be presented to a public hearing of the Senate Inquiry into the Obesity Epidemic in Australia today — looked at the causal effects of childhood obesity on publicly funded health costs.

Compared to healthyweight children, obese 6-to-13year-olds caused an additional $43.2 million in annual nonhospital costs incurred by Medicare, according to 2015 figures. The costs included things such as exercise schemes and GP visits.

The study, by a team from Monash Business School’s Centre for Health Economics, analysed data on 3458 children from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, linked to their Medicare records.

Lead researcher Nicole Black said it was vital the community worked to find a solution to the growing epidemic.

One in four Australian children is overweight or obese, with Australia the fifth most obese nation in the world, according to the OECD.

“Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health concerns globally … an economic argument is needed for governments to act and to invest in obesity prevention,” Dr Black said. The findings were published in the journal Economics and Human Biology.

Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone said GPs were seeing more families and kids in relation to weight issues.

“This is the first generation of children that probably is going to have a shorter lifespan than their parents,” Dr Bartone said.

Jane Martin, executive manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition, said she was shocked at the $43.2 million figure.

“This shows we are all paying the price for the obesity crisis,” she said.