Santa is promoting an unhealthy lifestyle of overeating, drinking and lack of exercise, says an Australian academic.

An Australian public health researcher says Santa isn't a good role model for a healthy lifestyle. (Seth Wenig/Associated Press)

Published in this week's British Medical Journal, public health researcher and study author Nathan Grills of the University of Melbourne says childhood obesity, teenage smoking and infectious disease outbreaks could in part be blamed on the jolly old man in red.

Grills says Santa is probably the most recognizable figure in the world, and as such is used to market everything from junk food to alcohol.

In the past Santa has even been used to advertise cigarettes, says Grills.

His physical appearance is hardly "a pin-up for public health," he says.

With cookies, milk and possibly a beer or two, Grills says it's hardly surprising that Santa is a little rotund.

He adds that Santa's eating habits may also be affecting adults, especially dads, who are often ready to help out if Santa can't finish the offerings.

Grills suggests that Santa (and Dad) should start eating the carrots and celery left for Rudolph.

The paper also suggests that Santa is a bad role model when it comes to drinking and driving.

"With a few billion houses to visit Santa would quickly be over the limit," writes Grills.

And he adds, Santa is never seen wearing a seatbelt.

But perhaps the most unusual risk that Santa presents to the community is his ability to become a vector of infectious disease.

One survey quoted in Grills's paper found that Santa is sneezed or coughed on up to 10 times a day.

"Unsuspecting little Johnny gets to sit on Santa's lap, but as well as his presents he gets H1N1 influenza," he writes.

'Tongue in cheek'

Grills admits he wrote his paper to be tongue in cheek, and it's up to the reader to decide how much of his paper they believe, "a bit like Santa Claus."

He says he wrote the paper when he needed a break from his PhD.

Grills hopes the article will make good dinner time conversation and insists that he doesn't believe Santa is a force for evil.

"I think Santa is a good role model for kids in terms of giving gifts and being generous. The true St. Nick was a very generous bishop."

Despite the humour of the paper, Grills says there is a serious message we should take from it.

"If Santa is a figure that appeals to kids and he's used by big corporations to market alcohol and the like, then basically he's marketing those products to kids."