Fast food restaurants
Of Australia’s states and territories, Tasmania has the highest number of fast food restaurants per capita, with 27 popular chains available for every 100,000 of the population. The Gold Coast is the Australian city with the highest number of fast food chains per capita (19.1 per 100,000 of its local population).
Eating habits
When it comes to dietary choices, most Australians favour convenience over any other factor. Almost two thirds of Australians said that when it comes to choosing what they eat, foods that are ‘easy to purchase’, such as fast food or food from takeaways, are their priority, while 59% prioritise meals that are ‘quick to cook’. Those aged between 25 to 34 years old were most likely to choose what they eat for these reasons.
When choosing what to eat, Australians prioritise foods that are…
Which age group is most likely to eat junk food in a typical week?
85% of young people (aged 18 to 24 years old) admit to eating junk food, such as chips, pizza, fried chicken and kebabs, at least once per week.
Nutritional content awareness
Do Australians know about their recommended daily allowances or the health risks of an unhealthy diet?
- 65% of respondents overestimated how much salt an adult should consume per day by at least double the recommended daily allowance.
- 15% of Australians overestimated how much sugar an adult should consume per day.
Health risks of poor nutrition
Which health risks are Australians least aware of in connection to unhealthy dieting? More than 50% of Australians were unaware that an unhealthy, long-term diet that is high in junk food has been scientifically linked to depression, types of cancer, a weaker immune system, kidney failure and early death. While obesity was the most recognised health problem, more than one in six people still didn’t recognise it as being linked to poor nutrition.
In Australia 59% of people did not recognise the correlation between a poor diet and depression. As there has been an increase in awareness in mental health, it is extremely important to understand that a poor diet is a daily factor which may lead to depression amongst Australians. It is also important for Australian’s to understand that an unhealthy diet will also lead to a weaker immune system, kidney disease, early death, increased risk of stroke, digestive issues, heart attack, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Without understanding the major risks of an poor and unhealthy diet, Australian’s will not be able to avoid these issues with are correlated.