What can we all do about the world wide increase of obesity?
Diet and Obesity in the UK
This ESRC fact sheet gives an overview of diet and obesity in the UK. It is designed to introduce the topic rather than be a comprehensive summary.
During the last 25 years, the rate of obesity has quadrupled in the UK. In England alone, 22 per cent of men and 23 per cent of women were classified as clinically obese in 2002, while 43 per cent of men and 34 per cent of women were overweight. This means that over half of all adults weigh more than their recommended weight. In the USA obesity rates increased from 15 per cent of the population in 1980 to 31 per cent in 2000 [1]. In Canada, almost 50 per cent of the population is either overweight or obese [2]. Fifty-six per cent of adults and 27 per cent of children in Australia are either overweight or obese [3].
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) there has been a three-fold rise in obesity rates in many European countries since the 1980s [4], and if the prevalence of obesity continues to increase at the current rate, 150 million adults in Europe will be obese by 2010 [5].
Obesity is measured by Body Mass Index (BMI) scale. This takes into account a person’s weight and height [6]. A person is considered to be obese if they have a BMI of 30 or above, and overweight if their BMI is between 25-30 [7]. According to a report from 2002, Europe has one of the highest average BMIs (26.5) of all the WHO regions [8]. However, BMI is slightly confusing as athletes with a lot of muscle (which weighs more than fat) would also register a high BMI score.
kimmer – according to the WHO figures Americans are slightly more obese than people in the UK but are about the same as Canadians.
the study figures go across all racial boundries. I personally know many obese non-whites.
nibby – very good answer!
I think the problem has to be handled from two angles. We need to be more active in our lives. Today, very few people get enough exercise. We drive everywhere and we spend many hours sitting, whether in front of a computer screen or in front of the TV. From a very early age, we should instill in our children the importance of active play time and participation in sports and other physical activities. Everyday, we should get 30-60 minutes of physical activity. It would be good if we could get out of the habit of driving everywhere and sometimes walking or biking to places not so far away.
We also need to watch what we eat. My rule of thumb has always been that if I treat my plate like a pie chart, 50% of the plate should be vegetables, 25% protein and the remaining 25% should be starches like potatoes and pasta. I try not to skip breakfast so that I don’t end up making poor choices at lunch and dinner time. I also keep healthy snacks like fruits and cheese sticks around during the day so that I end up eating less at dinner time. I think too many people starve themselves during the day and end up overdoing it at dinner time.
So, stay active and eat right. Sounds simple but it is so hard to do with all the conveniences of the age we live in. We live very sedentary lives compared to people living 100 years ago.