Kiwis are getting fatter and fatter

New Zealand is already one of the world’s fattest countries. New research now shows that within 20 years nearly one-in-two adults will be clinically obese.

University of Otago researcher Dr Ross Wilson, the study’s lead author of the new study, said he hoped it would be a ‘‘wake-up’’ call.

‘‘Body mass index (BMI) and obesity rates are continuing to increase in New Zealand and our expectation is that they will continue to do so for the forseeable future,’’ he said.

‘‘High BMI has now overtaken tobacco as the greatest contributor to health loss in New Zealand, which emphasises the public health importance of these findings.’’

The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, drew from the Government’s New Zealand Health Survey and other data tracking BMI.

BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. A BMI of between 18.5 and 25 is considered healthy, 25 to 30 overweight, and 30 and over obese.

New Zealand’s average BMI increased from 26.4 in 1997 to 28.3 in 2015. If the trend continues, the study said the average BMI would exceed the obesity threshold by the early 2030s.

Wilson said unless steps were taken to curb the ‘‘alarming’’ trend, about 45 per cent of adults would be obese by 2038, up from about 32 per cent now.