Obesity crisis: NZ is getting even fatter

Almost a third of Kiwi children aged up to 17 will be obese or overweight by the year 2025, say medical experts who are warning an obesity epidemic may worsen.

The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) has issued a dire warning to New Zealanders about the country’s booming weight problem.

‘‘We often refer to the obesity epidemic as a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, but the reality is it already has,’’ RACS fellow and Brisbane gastrointestinal surgeon George Hopkins said.

‘‘Childhood obesity is preventable, but something needs to change urgently.’’

It follows projections from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on escalating rates of obesity, with New Zealand already ranked third of 33 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries for children who are overweight and obese.

‘‘Really obesity is the biggest health problem of our time,’’ Steven Kelly, bariatric surgeon at Christchurch Public Hospital, said.

‘‘We are the third-fattest in the OECD and our childhood obesity is just out of control.

‘‘A lot of these children and adolescents have type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, and for these kids it’s left unabated.’’

Rising obesity, and related health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancers was mounting pressure on our health systems.

Obesity costs New Zealand’s health system about $600 million each year, Kelly said.

Under a Ministry of Health strategy, children aged four and under who are thought to be obese are offered GP visits and DHBs are developing plans to ensure these children are offered referrals.

A voluntary health star rating on foods was introduced in March and is now on more than 2000 products.

But Kelly said these methods are not effective.

‘‘The things we know do work is reducing junk food advertising, compulsory healthy foods and taxing sugar.

‘‘You tax sugar by 20 per cent and you get a 20 per cent reduction [in sugar consumption].

‘‘Being told to go to your GP for a chat isn’t going to work.’’

On October 20, an Advertising Standards Authority’s code change imposed explicit restrictions on advertising occasional food and beverage products to children.

In a recent Otago University study, analysis of 96 hours of TV programming revealed that more than half of food advertisements were for unhealthy food.

The study found that broadcaster definitions of children’s viewing times did not correspond with children’s actual and peak viewing times, based on Nielsen data. The researchers said restrictions on unhealthy food advertising should align with the actual viewing patterns of children, and called for independent monitoring.

Existing Ministry of Health statistics show 11 per cent of New Zealand children aged between two and 14 are obese. But WHO statistics put the latest New Zealand figures on obesity at 9.35 per cent for children aged from five to 17, but said that will rise to 11 per cent over by 2025.

"Really, obesity is the biggest health problem of our time." Steven Kelly, bariatric surgeon at Christchurch Public Hospital