The Medical journal of Australia
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To assess and compare health care costs for normal-weight, overweight and obese Australians. ⋯ The total annual direct cost of overweight and obesity in Australia in 2005 was $21 billion, substantially higher than previous estimates. There is financial incentive at both individual and societal levels for overweight and obese people to lose weight and/or reduce WC.
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To determine the prevalence of trachoma among Indigenous Australians. ⋯ Blinding endemic trachoma remains a major public health problem in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Although active trachoma is predominantly seen in very remote communities, scarring and blinding sequelae occur among Indigenous people across the country. The Australian Government's recent commitment to eliminate blinding trachoma is welcomed and much needed.