The expansion of personal health management services is driven by a broad-based concern for the continued increases in healthcare costs. The following statistics demonstrate the impact of lifestyle choices on the health and well-being of Australians:

• Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in Australia. Lung cancer caused the most cancer deaths in Australian in 2002.
  Australian Institute of Health & Welfare 2004
• Being overweight, alone, increases risk for heart failure; for every one-point increase in body mass index (BMI), the risk for men increases 5 percent and for women 7 percent.
  New England Journal of Medicine, 2002
• The cost of obesity to Australian businesses for sick leave, lost productivity and presenteeism is estimated at millions.
  Journal of Health Promotion, 2003
• Workplace stress costs Australian businesses more than a million dollars each year in lost productivity and rehabilitation costs for stressed workers.
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2004
• Diabetes prevalence has more than doubled over the past two decades and is estimated to affect around 1 million adult Australians.
  Australian Institute of Health & Welfare 2004
• One in two Australian adults has blood cholesterol levels regarded as unhealthy.
  Australian Institute of Health & Welfare 2004
• Obesity prevalence among adults has doubled over the last two decades. One in five people are obese in Australia.
  Australian Institute of Health & Welfare 2004
• One in two Australian adults does not undertake leisure physical activities at levels recommended for health benefits.
  Australian Institute of Health & Welfare 2004
• A moderate diet and an exercise program leading to weight loss of 5 percent to 7 percent can lower the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.
  Health and Human Services Diabetes Prevention Program, 2001
• Healthy employees are nearly three times more productive than unhealthy employees
  Source: Medibank Private 'The health of Australia's workforce - Nov 2005'
• Unhealthy employees take up to nine times more sick leave than their healthy industry colleagues
  Source: Medibank Private 'The health of Australia's workforce - Nov 2005'
• Poor employee health and absenteeism is costing Australian business $7billion annually
  Source: Medibank Private 'The health of Australia's workforce - Nov 2005'