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Story: Body shape and dieting

Adult obesity: increasing obesity rate and ethnic differences

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The first of these two graphs shows the increase in percentages of New Zealand men and women who were obese, between 1997 and 2011–12. The rate increased more sharply for men, but women were usually slightly more likely to be obese. The rates in the first graph are age-standardised. The second graph shows the difference in obesity rates for people of Māori, Pacific, Asian and European ethnicity.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Kylie Mason, The health of New Zealand adults 2011/12. Wellington, Ministry of Health, 2012

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How to cite this page

Caroline Daley, Body shape and dieting – Obesity and health concerns, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/41405/adult-obesity-increasing-obesity-rate-and-ethnic-differences (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Caroline Daley, published 22 April 2013.