MELBOURNE, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Deaths from cardiovascular disease linked to overweight and obesity are rising among younger Australians, particularly in disadvantaged communities, new research has revealed.
The study, published in BMC Medicine, looked at premature overweight and obesity-related cardiovascular disease mortality for people aged between 35-74 years, said a statement from Australia's University of Melbourne on Friday.
Using the Australian Bureau of Statistics death certificate data from 2007 and 2022, researchers found that low socio-economic areas were particularly disadvantaged.
Diabetes, chronic kidney disease, obesity, lipidemias or hypertension were taken into account as contributing causes of death, the statement said.
"These death rates are increasing fastest in younger adults, and we know this generation has experienced higher long-term obesity prevalence in childhood and young adulthood than previous generations," said Professor Tim Adair, a demographer at UniMelb's Nossal Institute for Global Health.
The research also found that overweight and obesity-related premature cardiovascular disease death rates are particularly high in people living in more socio-economically disadvantaged areas, widening the gap with more advantaged areas in recent years due to cheap unhealthy food and poor neighborhood walkability, Adair said.
While weight-loss drugs can help curb obesity, addressing social, economic, and environmental factors remains essential to prevent premature obesity-related deaths, he said, calling it "a global problem and an urgent public health concern." ■