Canadians who resolved to lose a few pounds in 2011 are not alone.
According to a recent poll conducted by Leger Marketing for the CBC, more than half of the adults who responded to an online survey last year said they consider themselves overweight (44 percent) or obese (seven percent).
The poll, conducted during a one-week period last November, surveyed 506 Canadian youths aged 12 to 17 and 1,514 adults older than 18.
About 42 percent of the adults surveyed said they get no vigorous exercise in an average week and about 34 percent of youths said they get fewer than two hours of exercise per week.
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David Lau, a Calgary based endocrinologist who specializes in obesity and lipid disorders, said there are many factors contributing to the declining well-being of Canadians.
Lau, who also serves as president of Obesity Canada, said millions of Canadians are risking their lives by failing to get adequate exercise.
“A (body mass index) of 30 or greater is directly correlated with premature death as well as many, many health complications, such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks and many forms of cancer,” said Lau.
“So in other words, obesity is directly correlated to an increasing risk of cardiovascular disease and cancers and those are the two leading causes of death, accounting for 70 percent of deaths in Canadians.
“That’s the reason we tell people you have to achieve a healthier body weight and exercise more regularly.”
For years, Canada’s physical activity guidelines have recommended that adults get 60 minutes of exercise a day and children get 90 minutes.
However, those guidelines were recently relaxed making it easier for Canadians to meet the minimum activity target. They now recommend that children get at least 60 minutes of exercise a day and adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week.
But according to a Statistics Canada report released in January, only seven percent of children aged five to 17 are meeting the new target and just 15 percent of the entire Canadian population is getting enough exercise.
The Leger/CBC survey also suggested that about three in 10 Canadians feel stressed and about six in 10 Canadians feel tired the majority of the time.
Canadians are also getting less sleep than recommended.
Both children and adults are getting an hour less than recommended every night, the survey suggested.
Results from the poll paint a worrisome picture of the nation’s health but according to health experts, that should come as no surprise.
Canada’s health has been worsening steadily for the past few decades.
According to a Canadian Health Measures Survey released a year ago by Statistics Canada, the fitness levels of Canadians of all ages declined significantly between 1981 and 2009.
The Statistics Canada survey, the most comprehensive national survey ever conducted to determine Canadian fitness levels, suggested that roughly 38 percent of Canadian adults were at a healthy weight.
Another 37 percent were overweight, 24 percent were obese and one percent were underweight.
Canadian men are more likely to be overweight than Canadian women although obesity rates were roughly the same for both sexes.
People with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight while those with a BMI of 30 or greater are defined as obese.
Lau said nobody wants to be overweight or obese yet the conditions are becoming more prevalent among Canadians each year.
Decades ago, many Canadian families routinely sent their children outside to play but today parents are reluctant to let their children out of sight.
“Today, our kids are playing inside instead of outside, so physical activity has been engineered out of the equation,” said Lau.
“The only exercise they get is with their thumbs to play video games.”
Rural residents are also gaining weight.
There is no data to suggest that rural children are healthier than their urban counterparts but it is widely recognized that obesity is more common among rural adults than it is among urban adults, Lau said.
Even urban planning and civil engineering trends are contributing to a more sedentary society, he added.
The prevalence of big box shopping means that more urban dwellers are driving rather than walking.
“Wherever you go, you can’t walk. You have to drive,” Lau said.
“In public buildings, escalators and elevators are front and centre. Stairs are dimly lit and may not be safe.”
The increasing number of double-income families also means parents and children are less likely to sit down and eat a healthy meal together.
“We live in a pressure cooker society. We eat on the go,” Lau said.
“When double income families have to work two jobs, they use the television as their babysitter and they use the fast food restaurant to get their calories.”
But Canadians should not blame fast food chains for the nation’s deepening health crisis.
Instead, they must take responsibility for their own well-being and take steps to achieve healthier body weights.
Governments and workplaces can also enact policies aimed at reducing obesity and promoting a healthier population.
Lau said employees who are physically active and have healthy body weights are more productive and miss fewer days of work each year.
In Canada, obesity and related health problems cost the Canadian economy an estimated $10 billion per year in added health costs and lost productivity in the workplace.
How to calculate your body mass index (BMI)
The body mass index (BM I) is used to classify weight and evaluate associated health risks.
To calculate your BMI :
A) Find your weight (lbs) ___________
B) Multiply (A) by 0.45
to convert to kilograms: ___________
C) Find your height (inches) ___________
D) Multiply (C) by 0.0254
to convert to metres: ___________
(E)CalculateyourtotalBM Iby dividing weight in kg. by height in metres squared (B)(DxD): ___________ You can use an online calculator at www.bmicalculator.org
Now, check the chart to see where your BMI fits:
BMI Classification
———
10.6%
overw eig ht/obese boys in Canada in 1981:
in 2001:
29.0%
overw eig ht/obese girls in Canada In 1981:
13.1%
in 2001:
27.0%
Today, our kids are playing inside instead of outside, so physical activity has been engineered out of the equation.
The only exercise they get is with their thumbs to play video games.
David Lau
Endocrinologist
