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Articles -
Health/Environment
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Saturday, 13 December 2008 12:22 |
“Globesity”, according to World Health Organization (WHO), is the modern day plague that is stalking humanity with alarming speed and menace. It is estimated that there are more than 1 billion overweight adults globally, of whom at least 300 million are obese. , however, statistics Canada informs us that about 7 million Canadian adults are overweight, and an additional 4.5 million are obese. According to Canadian Institute of Health Research, “The data demonstrate that more than half of Canadians are overweight or obese, with almost 15 per cent of the population falling in the category of ‘obese’.” Roughly speaking, an adult is considered overweight when his body weight exceeds the maximum desirable weight for his height, and obese when his body weight is 20% or more over this desirable weight.Here are some striking facts: - In Canada, 18 per cent of children aged two to 17 are overweight, and another eight per cent- an estimated 500,000 children- are obese;
- A new study recently found that the arteries of obese children may be aging 30 years faster than normal;
- The same study suggests that these obese children may grow up to be young adults who may well have premature angina and heart attacks, as early as their 30s. (University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine);
- Obesity is the leading cause of premature illness and death in North America;
- Obese people are at a higher risk for serious medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, gallbladder disease, and different cancers than people who have a healthy weight;
- The prevalence of obesity among industrialized nations has risen dramatically (5 percentage points) in Canada, Finland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Among Canadian males obesity rates increased from 20% to 30%. This increase of 10 percentage points translates to a 50% growth in obesity prevalence. (Canadian Institute of Health Research.)
- The proportion of obese children has nearly tripled in the past 25 years. The increases were seen for both boys and girls and across all age groups except pre-schoolers. As well, more than half of Canadian children and youth are not active enough for optimal growth and development.
Obesity, recent trends indicate, is like a tsunami of incalculable medical, economic and social destructive consequences. It could, if left unchecked or reversed, influence in many adverse ways the way we do business, develop and live. It may well be the final stage of the rise, growth and inevitable decay of Western civilization and other rapidly developing nations as affluence, laziness and reckless food consumption and physical inactivity take hold on the minds and bodies of the modern man.The Medical Tsunami: The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), released as recently as November 13, 2008, some startling new health care related statistics. “Canada’s health care spending is expected to reach $171.9 billion in 2008, or $5,170 per person. This represents an increase of $10.3 billion over estimated expenditures for 2007, or a growth of 6.4%.” By most recent estimates, the direct and indirect cost/share of obesity out of the total health expenditures is around $4.9 billion. The three largest contributors to these healthcare costs are hypertension, type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease, all conditions that are caused or exacerbated by obesity.According to recent study reported in the Ottawa Citizen on November 12, 2008, Dr. Geetha Raghuveer a cardiologist at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Missouri-Kansas said: “Overall, about 75 per cent of the children in the study plotted advanced vascular age. Their arteries and their hearts are probably behaving like that of middle-aged adults.” The Economic Tsunami: It is believed that the costs of obesity may be grouped into two categories: direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are payments made into treatment, care and rehabilitation for illnesses associated with overweight or obesity. Indirect costs are those negative outputs such as reductions in economic productivity, entrepreneurial zest, absenteeism, disability, premature mortality and pain and suffering that affect families and the workplace.Although it is virtually impossible to measure accurately these variables, it is believed that they add up to billions of dollars annually, dragging with them the healthcare system and the Canadian economic output.Furthermore, the linkage between social costs and economic losses due to obesity are demonstrably undeniable. Obese persons tend to suffer from low self-esteem, depression, loneliness, lack of social interaction, harassment and various other forms of social retardation, which directly affect economic productivity and social cohesion.The sad fact remains, however, that obesity is a preventable and reversible state. It only takes aggressive public educational campaign and individual will power and desire to change the destructive habits of eating junky food and start physical exercise on a regular basis. (Genetic and extreme medical conditions are exempted from this formula.)
It is easy to say and easy to do. Just try it as I did five years ago…! Elie Nasrallah is an Ottawa immigration consultant (CSIC) and a writer published all over the world.
Elie Nasrallah, 251 Bank St. Suite 500, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 1X3, Tel: 613-266-5633, Fax: 613-594-9533
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, Website: www.visavisa.ca |
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