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The obesity epidemic has escalated chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, and pulmonary disease. These preventable conditions, driven mainly by poor diet and inactive lifestyles, account for over three quarters of national health spending in Australia.  Obesity rates in Australia have more than doubled over the past 20 years and today the majority of people are overweight.

To slow the rise in health spending, our nation must significantly invest in effective primary prevention. Today less than 2% of the health dollar is assigned to prevention. Most of the academic literature and federal and state health reform reports acknowledge the primary importance of prevention and call for community-based initiatives that build local alliances to address improving the health quality of the food supply and increasing the physical activity of residents. To address the barriers to obesity prevention and management, there is a need for effective strategies to promote nutrition, activity and sedentary behavior change through individual and community-based programs.