Changes in smoking, drinking, overweight and physical inactivity in young Australian women 1996-2013

• Published in: Health promotion journal of Australia Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 255 - 259
• Main Authors: Powers, Jennifer R., Loxton, Deborah, Anderson, Amy E., Dobson, Annette J., Mishra, Gita D., Hockey, Richard, Brown, Wendy J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 195 Wellington Road, Clayton, 3168, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia CSIRO Publishing 01.12.2017; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; alcohol consumption; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol use; ALSWH; Australia - epidemiology; Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH); Body Mass Index; Body weight; Body weight gain; Campaigns; Change agents; Cities; Correlation analysis; Data analysis; Demographics; Education; Estimates; Excise taxes; Exercise; Female; Food industry; Food processing industry; Health; Health care policy; Health education; Health initiatives; health policy; Health promotion; Health risks; Health status; Health surveys; Healthy food; Humans; Internet; Legislation; Longitudinal Studies; Morbidity; Obesity; Obesity in women; Overweight; Overweight - epidemiology; Physical activity; Population; Prevalence; Prevention; Public health; Regulation; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Smoking; Smoking - epidemiology; Smoking cessation; Social networks; Social research; Tax increases; Taxation; Tobacco; Weight gain; Weight gain measurement; Women; women's health; Womens health; Young Adult; Young women; Youth; Australia
• ISSN: 1036-1073; 2201-1617
• DOI: 10.1071/HE16085

Issue addressed: Smoking, risky drinking, overweight and obesity, and physical inactivity are health-risk factors (HRFs) that contribute significantly to morbidity worldwide. Several initiatives have been introduced over the past two decades to reduce these HRFs. This paper examines changes in the prevalence of HRFs in young women (aged 18-23 years) between 1996 and 2013, overall and within demographic groups. Methods: Data from two cohorts of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, born in 1973-78 (n = 14 247) and 1989-95 (n = 17 012) were weighted to provide national estimates. Prevalence ratios were used to compare HRFs in 2013 relative to 1996. Results: In 1996, 32% were current smokers, 38% were risky drinkers, 22% were overweight or obese and 7% were physically inactive. In 2013, corresponding estimates were 19%, 35%, 33% and 6%. Between 1996 and 2013, overall smoking prevalence decreased, but remained over 43% among least educated women. Overweight and obesity increased in all demographic groups. Conclusions: The findings suggest that only smoking, which has been the subject of changes in taxation, legislation and regulation, declined significantly, in all except the least educated women. In contrast, the prevalence of overweight and obesity, which has largely been addressed through awareness campaigns and voluntary actions by the food industry, increased markedly in all demographic sub-groups.