Dementia has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death in Australia as more people live longer, while being overweight has overtaken smoking tobacco as the leading risk factor contributing to disease burden.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released its 20th biennial report card on the nation's health today showing that overall Australians are living longer, but access to healthcare and overall disease burden is dotted with inequality and influenced by lifestyle as well as environmental factors.
