Research on Obesity in Australia

However, physical inactivity is an important factor of obesity. Firstly, in this modernized world, many jobs were involved sitting in front of the desk for long hours. Apart from that many people using cars rather than walking or cycling. Secondly, many people tend to watch TV and playing video games and browsing the internet for relaxation. They often do regular exercise.Thirdly, people are using labor-saving devices such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers for household work, due to these devices people were physically less active.

Obesity carries many baggage throughout an obese person’s life and affects many Australian’s throughout the state. In current times, obesity in Australia has made its way to being one of nine National Health Priority Areas that was brought to the attention of Australian governments. The problems with obesity is that it carries many health conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, renal dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, cognitive impairment and depression, cancer, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and osteoarthritis. Access Economics (2008) reported various estimates on obesity-related burdens in Australia. Obesity-related burdens comprises of cardiovascular disease by 21% with a population of 644,843, 24% of type 2 diabetes with a population of 242,033,

A simple strategy such as losing five kilograms has the potential to result in 27% to 34% fewer cardiovascular related hospital admissions and deaths over the next twenty years. Obesity plays a major role in todays and the future societies health and health care system. Action needs to take place in order to reduce the effects of this health issue. A few examples of this are: Creating more of an awareness of the effects obesity has on individuals and the community can help reduce the growth of this health issue. Educating people and children more on how to create a healthy lifestyle including healthy eating and exercise will reduce obesity greatly and describing practical strategies that would enable Australian to loose weight and keep the weight down will also have a positive impact on society.

Obesity is the 21st centuries plaque. It is a disease spreading at a rapid rate, taking over our society; affecting us from the grass roots up. Obesity, defined as excess fat/weight causing health issues is a multifactorial issue that needs to be addresses. There are too many consequences presented by the disease, both physical and mental to allow it the continual power to destroy the lives of many, too many Australians. The alarming rate at which this disease is spreading must become a topic of conversation for our whole society. Change needs to be seen at every level.

Obesity is a public health issue that has devastatingly developed into a global epidemic. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is dramatically increasing worldwide at an appalling and intimidating rate with more than 1.9 billion adults aged18 years and older being overweight in 2014. Out of these 1.9 billion adults being overweight, 600 million were classified obese. While the issue regarding overweight and obesity are prevalent in all countries, the National Health and Medical Research Council stated that Australia’s obesity levels have been developing faster than any countries in the world over the past thirty years. Although obesity may have been primarily considered as a personal concern three decades ago; it is overwhelmingly a societal concern today in Australia. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare have measured that in 2011 and 2012, around 63% of Australian adults had the characteristics of being overweight and corpulence. That is over a quarter of the adult population in Australia being obese.

Obesity is a medical condition, in which a person’s excessive body fat accumulates to a point where it may have a negative impact on their health causing serious illness, disability and premature death. In Australia the rate of obesity has gradually increased over time, where in 2011-2012 it was found that 35.3% Australians aged 18 and over were overweight and 27.5% obese. (WHO reference)This health condition is the outcome of a range of social determinants that warrant attention. However this report will focus on and discuss two social determinants that could conceivably lead to obesity or being overweight.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as ‘abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health’. (1) A general measure used to monitor obesity is the body mass index (BMI). A person with a BMI of 25+ is considered overweight and 30+ is obese. Between 2011 – 2012 62.8% of Australians adults, aged 18+ were overweight or obese, with 27.5% of the cases being obese. This has increased by 6.5% since 1995. (2) The obesity epidemic in Australia needs to be addressed urgently as it is a precursor to most preventable lifestyle diseases and a BMI over 25 is the second highest contributor to burden of disease in this country. (3) According to WHO, worldwide the rate of obesity has doubled from 1980-2014. (4) In 2014-2015,

In our group assessment we all decided to research obesity and the affects it is having on the Australian population. This subject was good for me, I had already researched the topic before, this allowed me to really get a deeper understanding of the topic and find a way to show how much of problem for generations to deal with. Obesity is a growing problem in Australia with almost 63% of all Australians being obese and 10% more people overweight than in 1995.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012), "more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese." This fact effectively underscores the seriousness of the issue at hand. Further, it means that obesity is affecting millions of people in the U.S. alone (either directly or indirectly). As McKnight (2006) points out, one of the leading causes of death in America is physical inactivity. Physical inactivity coupled with other factors has been branded a leading cause of obesity. Every day, people die from obesity related diseases including but not limited to hypertension and heart disease as others have their social lives greatly inhibited by the condition. In the recent past, debate has been rife on whether obesity should be branded a disease or a factor contributing to ill health. Whether classified as a disease or a factor contributing to ill health, the epidemic remains one of the main preventable causes of death not only in the U.S. but also across the world. In the modern day, both comfort and convenience have come to be regarded top human priories. In pursuance of these two "ideals", healthy living has seemingly taken a backseat. A sedentary lifestyle coupled with poor eating habits is slowly making America a fat nation and as a result, we are slowly gravitating towards poor health. It is this trend that is making obesity synonymous with disease. Obesity is however not a disease but one of the many factors that contribute to ill health.

In Australia, obesity has a substantial prevalence in the population. In 2014.15, 63.4% of Australians aged 18 and over were overweight or obese, which equates to approximately 11.2 million people. Of these 63.4%, 35.5% were overweight (6.3 million people), and 27.9% (4.9 million people) were obese (1). These statistics are 10% higher than in 1995, when approximately 53% of Australians were either overweight or obese (2).

Obesity is rapidly becoming a major health issue throughout NSW. In Australia 63.4% percent of people were cut off for obesity making that more than half the population making obesity a major threat to individual’s health’s. The NSW health obesity strategy is a government organisation aiming to help individuals live healthier lifestyles by providing one on one help and assistance with their specific needs. The strategy also provides tailored programs for different groups of individuals who may have higher or lower levels or health due to their social situation, economic status e.g. (ATSI) this initiative was put into place and aims to over time, decrease the statistics of chronic illness related to obesity and its long-term health effects,

The media article ‘Shocking Statistics That Illustrate Australia’s Obesity Problem’ written by Leigh Campbell in the Huffington Post Australia Newspaper on February the 24th 2016 will be discussed throughout the report (Campbell, 2016). The newspaper article focuses on the alarming increase in numbers of obese individuals in Australia and the many health issues associated.

Statistical information confirms: obesity and overweight have already turned into an issue of national concern. In 2002, “a National Survey conducted by American Sports Data revealed that 61% of adults in the U.S. felt that they were overweight, 19% admitting that they were ‘considerably’ overweight” (American Sports Data). The major causes of obesity, overweight, and similar nutritional problems included genetics, population trends, hurried lifestyles, high-carbohydrate diets, less demanding workplaces, smoking cessation, and social class aspects (American Sports Data). That hurried lifestyles and a less demanding workplace contribute in the development of obesity trends is clear. But even more importantly, because the number of those who are overweight or obese exceeds one half of the American population, the government must control our diets. The information about the costs of obesity and related diseases is even more compelling.

Obesity is a health crisis which is defined as “the abnormal accrual of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual’s ideal body weight.”1 Obesity is a commonly expressed disease that heavily impacts a great deal of Australians. Approximately 63% of Australian adults are overweight or obese.2 The number of obese adults has increased by a dramatic 10% from 1995. This has a direct correlation to dietary and exercise behaviours, and can be related to the Ottawa

There is a large variety of environmental factors that have led to the increase in Obesity in New Zealand. This essay will explore the factors that have caused the increase in and how they interlink with each other. There has been a clear trend of this world wide however New Zealand is currently among the highest for the percentage of there population being rated 3rd behind the United States of America and Mexico with 28.4% of our population being considered Over weight for Adults. 35% of New Zealanders are considered obese placing 3rd behind Greece and Italy for. This has increase from 18.8% in 1997 which has been seen as the 4th highest Behind United States of America, Mexico and Australia. In individuals under 15 (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2013). Interlinking environmental factors have led to this epidemic is a serious problem that is in need of fixing.