The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its first detailed snapshot of nutrition among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in more than a decade, highlighting cost and availability as key barriers to healthy eating and showing widespread consumption of sweetened drinks.
According to the ABS, in 2023 almost seven in ten Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults (68 per cent) living in non-remote areas reported they were always able to access healthy and nutritious foods in the four weeks before the survey. In remote areas, the figure was four in ten (40 per cent). Among those who could not always access healthy options, 61 per cent cited cost as the main barrier and 20 per cent pointed to availability.
Two in ten people (20 per cent) aged two years and over reported barriers to drinking tap water at home over the previous year, most commonly because of taste (51 per cent), followed by safety concerns (27 per cent). Tap water includes supplies from towns or community systems, as well as tanks, springs, wells and bores.
On a typical day, the most commonly eaten foods were cereal-based mixed dishes, reported by 59 per cent of people aged two years and over. Almost half (47 per cent) consumed sweetened drinks, including 38 per cent who had soft drinks and flavoured mineral waters and 9 per cent who drank cordials. Sweetened drinks include products with added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or both.
Free sugars accounted for 12 per cent of total energy intake, down from 14 per cent in 2012–13 but still above the World Health Organization’s recommendation of less than 10 per cent. Sodium intake averaged 2,538 mg a day in non-remote areas and 2,190 mg in remote areas; for reference, about 2,300 mg equates to one teaspoon of salt. Discretionary foods made up a larger share of energy intake in non-remote areas (38 per cent) than in remote areas (33 per cent). Discretionary foods are typically high in energy, saturated fat, added sugar or salt, and low in essential nutrients.
Around 13 per cent of people aged 15 years and over reported being on a diet to lose weight or for other health reasons. Among these, the most common approaches were healthy eating (40 per cent) and weight loss or low-calorie diets (28 per cent).
The findings come from the 2023 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. Figures on food and drink consumption are based on what people reported having on the day before their interview and exclude dietary supplements. Remoteness is classified under the Australian Statistical Geography Standard. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.
