Firstly, I would like to start with stating the World Health Organization statment that “overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese” (World Health Organization, 2013, para. 4). Therefore, obesity is more of an issue than just a few kilograms over weight; it is a condition which can lead to stress on the body and ultimately to death. Obesity also can lead to a number of serious health issues. The Ministry of Health (2011) state that the health issues that come from obesity are the following; “type 2 diabetes, ischaemic heart disease (IHD), stroke, several common cancers, osteoarthritis, sleep apnoea and reproductive abnormalities” (Ministry of Health, 2011, para. 1). Shah (2010) also states that “obesity is a growing global health problem . . . and is a threat to human’s health” (para. 1). Obesity in New Zealand has become an important health concern in recent years with an increase in the number of people suffering with obesity in all ages and ethical groups.
I obtained the following facts from the facts sheet put together from the World Health Organization that was last updated in 2013. They state that:
• “Worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980.
• In 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight. Of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.
• 35% of adults aged 20 and over were overweight in 2008, and 11% were obese.• 65% of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
• More than 40 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2011”.
A graph from the World Health Organization completed in 2007. New ZEaland has the second largest number of overweight people in the Anglosphere (Wikipedia, n.d.).
With statistics worldwide I could go on forever so I am just going to focus on the statistics of obesity in New Zealand.
The Health Care Data 2009 report, completed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development team focused on New Zealand as one of their nations about obesity. They discovered that “the obesity rate among adults in New Zealand in 2007 was 26.5 per cent” (Eriksen, 2009, para. 4). This figure compares with a reported “25 per cent obesity rate in New Zealand in 2003 and 18 per cent in 1997” (Eriksen, 2009, para. 4).
I found the following statistics from the Ministry of Health adult nutrition survey that they did in 2008/09.
They found that:
• “One in four adults (aged 15 years and over) were obese (27.8%)
• 44.7% of Maori adults were obese
• 57.9% of Pacific adults were obese
• There has been an increase in obesity in males from 17.0% in 1997 to 27.7% in 2008/09
• There has been an increase in obesity in females from 20.6% in 1997 to 27.8% in 2008/09” (Ministry of Health, 2011, para. 1).
2009/10
According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (2009-2010), “approximately 69% of adults are obese” (National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute”, 2012, para. 2).
2011
In 2011 the New Zealand Herald wrote an article stating that New Zealanders were not getting any slimmer. They found that around 63% were overweight or obese. Roy Morgan State of the Nation Report 3 discovered that “in September 2011, only 35 per cent of New Zealanders had a Body Mass Index indicating an acceptable weight” (Morgan, 2011, para. 2), this figure was 3 per cent down from 2009
Are not those statistics interesting? I would have never thought that so many people are categorized as being obese! You may now be thinking what causes obesity? So far I have researched that people become obese from consuming more calories that their body burns. For example, when you eat more junk food and do not exercise enough then your body stores the extra calories as fat.
The e medicine health website (2013) states that “if we overeat regularly, we gain weight, and if we continue to gain weight, we may become obese” (para. 1). As I was reading I came across other factors that contribute to obesity as everyone’s make up is different. Genes play a part in how you distribute and store fat as well as how your metabolism works. Also family history plays a role as usually obesity runs in the family; if one of your parents are obese you are more likely to be obese than someone whose parents are slim. Also emotions play a role in obesity as people usually overeat if they are bored, depressed or angry. Environmental factors, such as eating habits and the people around you influence the way you eat. Last of all, gender plays a role on obesity. Gender influences has always interested me e medicine health website states that men have more muscle than women. “Because muscle burns more calories than other types of tissue, men use more calories than women, even at rest. Thus, women are more likely than men to gain weight with the same calorie intake” (e medicine health website, 2013, para. 7). The Nation Institutes of Health also states that factors such environment, genes and family history, health conditions, emotional factors, smoking, age and lack of sleep play a role in obesity (“National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute”, 2012).
The e medicine health website (2013) states that “if we overeat regularly, we gain weight, and if we continue to gain weight, we may become obese” (para. 1). As I was reading I came across other factors that contribute to obesity as everyone’s make up is different. Genes play a part in how you distribute and store fat as well as how your metabolism works. Also family history plays a role as usually obesity runs in the family; if one of your parents are obese you are more likely to be obese than someone whose parents are slim. Also emotions play a role in obesity as people usually overeat if they are bored, depressed or angry. Environmental factors, such as eating habits and the people around you influence the way you eat. Last of all, gender plays a role on obesity. Gender influences has always interested me e medicine health website states that men have more muscle than women. “Because muscle burns more calories than other types of tissue, men use more calories than women, even at rest. Thus, women are more likely than men to gain weight with the same calorie intake” (e medicine health website, 2013, para. 7). The Nation Institutes of Health also states that factors such environment, genes and family history, health conditions, emotional factors, smoking, age and lack of sleep play a role in obesity (“National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute”, 2012).
From researching and reading about why obesity is an issue and what causes obesity, it brings me to ask how is obesity actually measured? And what is the government doing about obesity in New Zealand?
As Wilson, Watts, Signal and Thomson (2006) state that obesity is one of the largest concerns containing ill-health and "is an issue requiring urgent attention by government" (para. 2).
As Wilson, Watts, Signal and Thomson (2006) state that obesity is one of the largest concerns containing ill-health and "is an issue requiring urgent attention by government" (para. 2).
References
Eriksen, A., M. (2009). Kiwis third fattiest in new obesity report. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10584289
e medicine health: experts for everyday emergencies. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/obesity/article_em.htm
Ministry of Health, (2011). Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.health.govt.nz/our work/diseases-conditions/obesity/obesity-questions-and-answers
Morgan, R. (2011, December 18). New Zealand obesity rates climb. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10773892
National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. (2012). Why obesity is a health problem. Retrieved from
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/healthy weight basics/obesity.htm
Shah, A. (2010). Global issues: Social, political, economic and environmental issues that affect us all. Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/article/558/obesity
World Health Organization. (2013). Obesity and overweight. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index.html
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Obesity in New Zealand. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_New_Zealand
Wilson, N., Watts, C., Signal, L, & Thomson, G. (2006). Acting upstream to control the obesity epidemic in New Zealand, 119(1231). Retrieved from ProQuest Central Database
Hi Kylie,
ReplyDeleteYour topic is quite popular too. I am overwhelmed, in a good way, by the statistics and I am glad that you brought the focus back to New Zealand. You have obtained interesting information from a variety of perspectives. I wonder if you have considered the costs on the health system and impact of the quality of people’s life? I look forward to reading more. There are quite a few initiatives underway for sometime in this country eg. Healthy heart and I wonder what the research is telling us about the effectiveness of these? Mm, might think twice about consuming too many Easter eggs!!
Cheryl