Issue

Obesity

Blue whales are the largest mammals in the world but humans are the fattest. The 21st century has brought a new and ever-growing epidemic—people are becoming supersized, as obesity becomes a health crisis of epic proportion.

Submitted 10/11/2005 By Amy Views 324905 Comments 40 Updated 8/05/2006


Photographer : Zen Sutherland


What is the issue?

You may have heard that people are getting bigger but do you believe it? Well, the fact is that yes, our bodies are bloating. There is now an estimated 300 million obese people in the world. The problem with obesity is that it is a ticking time bomb of chronic diseases. Obese people, young and old, are at risk of conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke and even certain forms of cancer. The health consequences are massive. A person’s quality of life can be reduced and there is even an increased risk of an early death.

How can you tell if someone is overweight or obese?

You are overweight or obese if you have excess body fat. This means you have a bit too much pudge. You can determine if you are fat or not by using an easy calculation called the Body Mass Index, or BMI.

BMI = weight (kg) / height (m) x height (m)
For example:
70 kg/ 1.75m x 1.75m = 22 which is a perfectly healthy BMI.

Note: some people, like weightlifters, have a BMI of 25 and over due to their bulky biceps. They are not considered overweight/obese because they are carrying extra muscle not extra fat.

Who is getting bigger and where in the world are they?

Obesity can affect anyone—it does not discriminate. Australia has
the third-highest rate of obesity in the developed world, with 20.8% of the population affected. More facts about obesity in Australia include:

  • In 2005 Research indicates that 20 to 25% of Australian children and young people are overweight or obese.

  • Around 80% of these obese young people become obese adults.

  • Since the 1980s the amount of overweight and obese Australian children has more than doubled.

  • It is estimated that at least 60% of Australians aged 18 years and over will be overweight or obese by 2010, this will increase to 65% by 2020.

Supersized developed nations

  1. United States—30.9% obese
  2. United Kingdom—22% obese
  3. Australia—20.8% obese

Stats from OECD, 2003

Why is it happening?

A person’s age, sex and genes, psychological makeup and
environmental factors may all lead to putting on those few
extra kilos. However, the increasing rate of obesity around the
world reflects changes in society and people’s behaviour.

Generally, people are eating more and more crap food and exercising less. They are chowing down on fatty and sugary foods and combining this with little, if any, exercise. This imbalance of calories in and out of the body can result in obesity because the person is consuming more calories then he or she is burning.

There are also social factors that may prevent people from having an active lifestyle or eating well, such as working longer hours or not being able to afford or have access to healthy foods. There may also be psychological reasons as to why a person consumes excessive amounts of food such as boredom, depression and anger.

Globesity—the term for the global obesity epidemic.

How do I know this?

Australasian Society for the Study of Obesity, http://www.asso.org.au

Brennan, L 2004, Improving body composition and function in overweight adolescents, http://www.rmit.edu.au

Healey, J (ed.) 2004, 'Issues in Society', Overweight and Obesity, vol. 201.

International Obesity Task Force, http://www.iotf.org

NSW Department of Health 2003, Prevention of obesity in children and young people—NSW Government Action Plan, http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/obesity/adult/gap/Obe...

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2003, OECD health data, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/10/20/2789777.pdf

Ruppel Shell, E 2001, Fat wars—the inside story of the obesity industry, Atlantic Books, London.

World Health Organisation 2003, Obesity and overweight, http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/gs_obesity.pdf

Affected by this issue yourself or know someone who is? Check out our sister site http://www.reachout.com.au/

Discuss Now

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RSS Comments
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kjalexander 30-Jun-2008

While obesity can affect anyone, I believe it does discriminate. In Australia, indigenous people and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds are the most susceptible to the condition. This trend cannot just be attributed to poor diet and a lack of exercise; it is the result of a varied and complex set of issues. For example, geographical, historical, social, economic, infrastructure and even genetic factors all contribute to obesity in the indigenous population.
(See http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/).

Obesity is therefore not just a symptom of overindulgence, and overweight people should not simply be told to “stop eating so much” or to “do some exercise”. Although these are both important factors in maintaining a healthy weight, there are a number of reasons why someone might weigh as much (or as little) as they do. Either way, people's weight should not make them the subject of constant ridicule or mean they are treated as social pariahs.

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lisaoy 02-Jun-2008

Healthy diet is the best way to avoid obesity.The calories will turn to fat if you cann't burn them properly.....but most of the time, you cann't burn them properly,so.....
I have been in Sydney for half a year,in fact some of the eating habit here is not heathy enough,too many foods are with high calories.However,it is a common phenomenon in many western countries, I cann't control myself also when i face beatiful fried chicken.
Maybe we can mix the eastern and western eatiing habit inthe future,because most of the eastern foods cantains less calories.

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TanR16 23-Apr-2008

I agree with getting health clubs/gyms to lower fees, with the cost of living only rising as well as the cost of education etc. It can be really hard for people who would otherwise want to attend these for the encouragement, support and specialised equipment, the cost of healthy food also could be a big factor, maybe the government should put some more money into it or the reality is that more young australians will be getting fatter and less healthy resulting in our countrys services such as health being put under further strain... Prevention is better than cure!

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CMatloub 10-Apr-2008

I think I good idea would be to try and encourage health clubs to lower fees, especially for young people. In addition, they should have special offers for people to be able to get involved in regular work out classes without having to pay exhorbitant prices!

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CMatloub 10-Apr-2008

I think I good idea would be to try and encourage health clubs to lower fees, especially for young people. In addition, they should have special offers for people to be able to get involved in regular work out classes without having to pay exhorbitant prices!

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