The report by OECD shows Canadians are fatter than most of the other 32 industrialized countries which track the global rise in obesity in rich nations. The report points out that comprehensive obesity prevention programs could save 40,000 Canadians from obesity-related deaths per year. The report blames lack of health education, government subsidies for cheap food, transportation policies, and taxation.The statistics speak for themselves:
Obese people die 8 to 10 years sooner than non-obese people.
Obese people earn less money, take more days off work, have lower productivity and a greater need for disability benefits.
The health costs of obese people is 25% more than normal people due to increased rates of diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
In 1979 the adult obesity rate in Canada was 9%. By 2009 the adult obesity rate has reached 28%. 62% of Canadians are overweight.
Canada's obesity rate is the 6th worst in the world. Iceland and Chile are close behind us. See Obesity in Canada.
The only countries with a greater percentage of obese people are the United States, Mexico, New Zealand, England and Australia. See American Obesity Rates.
Two out of three Canadian men are overweight and over one in four are obese.
Canadian women with poor education are 2 times more likely to be overweight. (For men education isn’t a factor.)
Canada's obesity rate is highest in poor regions.
The OECD report suggests that obesity prevention and education programs could save 40,000 Canadian lives per year and would save Canada billions of dollars in health costs. The programs suggested include food labelling, counseling for eating addictions, food advertising regulations. The OECD notes that the cost of prevention programs would be "a tiny fraction" of the cost of taking care of obese patients.
In related news...
KFC is offering young college women on Facebook $500 to wear pants which say “Double Down” scrawled on the butt.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments containing links will be marked as spam and not approved. We moderate every comment. If you want to advertise on this blog it is $30 per link.