Obesity in Canada is a growing health concern, which is "expected to surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality … and represents a burden of Can$3.96 (US$4.16/€2.85) billion on the Canadian economy each year."
Obesity rate
According to Forbes, Canada ranks 33 on a 2007 list of fattest countries, with 61.1% of its citizens having a body mass index (BMI) of at least 25. In children, obesity has substantially increased between 1989 and 2004, with rates in boys increasing from 2% to 13% and rates among girls increasing from 2% to 11%.
Regional variation
A 2004 study called the Canadian Community Health Survey, found 29% of Canadians 18 and older were obese and 41% more were overweight (as determined by body mass index). In children and adolescents, 8% were obese and 18% overweight. Rates of obesity varied significantly between the provinces, from an obesity rate of 19% in British Columbia to a rate of 34% in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In 2004, the prevalence of obesity in the three most populated provinces, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, matched those of about thirty US states, at a level between 20% and 25%. The study found people that live in cities (Census Metropolitan Areas) had significantly lower obesity rates in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia. In Quebec the relationship approached significance (p=0.08), while in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan the rate of obesity did not vary significantly between CMAs and rural areas. Obesity in such populated areas often attack on young adults, ages ranging from 16 to 21. Studies shows that an individual who's going through extensive learning often binges on food to help release stress. People dealing with stress usually find eating as method to help ease or cope with their problems, leading to obesity.
A 2005 report released by the Canadian government's Economics Division reported that "In 2004, approximately 6.8 million Canadian adults aged 20 to 64 were overweight, and an additional 4.5 million were obese. Roughly speaking, an adult male is considered overweight when his body weight exceeds the maximum desirable weight for his height, and obese when his body weight is 20% or more over this desirable weight. A similar guideline holds true for women, but at a threshold of 25% rather than 20%. Dramatic increases in overweight and obesity among Canadians over the past 30 years have been deemed to constitute an epidemic."
See also
- Canadian Obesity Network
- First Nations and diabetes
General:
- Epidemiology of obesity
References
External links
- Canadian Obesity Network