Obesity’s true impact not fully understood

According to the Canadian Obesity Network, one in four Canadian adults and one in 10 Canadian children are clinically obese. Furthermore, about six million Canadians require immediate support in managing their excess weight.

And that’s not all: Obesity is a leading cause of many serious conditions, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and cancer, and therefore affects not only people who are obese, but their families, employers, neighbours, health practitioners and governments.

And as for that last group — governments — a 2010 report estimated that obese and overweight citizens cost governments about $ 6 billion a year, or about 4.1 per cent of Canada’s health care budget.

And that total does not account for loss of productivity costs or reductions in tax revenues.

Finally, the network states that discrimination against people with obesity is comparable to racial discrimination as it results in significant inequities in employment, health, health care and education due to stereotypes that obese people are lazy, unmotivated or lacking in selfdiscipline.

Now you might thinking that you’ve heard all of this before. After all, rarely a day goes by that we don’t hear about the problem of obesity and overweight citizens, that we don’t read about how people with weight problems face significant health consequences and discrimination.

And, to be sure, we do hear about the dangers on a daily basis. Yet if the results of a recent telephone survey of Americans is any indication, it appears the message — or at least some of the message — isn’t getting through.

The survey, conducted in November and December by The Associated Press- NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago, asked just over 1,000 Americans a variety of questions about matters related to obesity.

Survey respondents did display some familiarity with the consequences of obesity, with fully 95 per cent stating obese people face some degree of discrimination because of their weight. And fully 75 per cent of respondents considered overweight and obesity an extremely or very serious health problem.

In fact, obesity was ranked second only to cancer ( 81 per cent) and higher than diabetes ( 71 per cent), heart disease ( 70 per cent), alcohol and drug abuse ( 62 per cent), smoking and tobacco ( 48 per cent), HIV/ AIDS ( 48 per cent) and mental illness ( 43 per cent) with regard to public perceptions of seriousness.

Respondents also noted the relationship between obesity and other threats to health. For example, when asked to list the most serious impacts of being overweight or obese, 78 per cent listed heart disease and 70 per cent included diabetes.

Yet the survey results also attest to the fact that most people remain unaware of the many health problems associated with overweight and obesity. For example, only 21 per cent listed high blood pressure as a potential consequence of weight problems.

Similar potential consequences that went almost unnoticed include arthritis and joint problems ( 14 per cent), high cholesterol ( 12 per cent), depression and mental health issues ( 11 per cent), stroke ( 10 per cent), death ( eight per cent), and cancer ( seven per cent).

Now given the importance of awareness in combating the problem, these results are troubling indeed. And if Canadians similarly lack knowledge in this area, we could soon be suffering from even more severe weight- related problems than we’re experiencing right now.

Hence. if we’re to tackle the problem of overweight and obesity, governments, health professionals and yes, the media, will have to redouble their efforts to educate the public about the true consequences of one of the greatest health challenges we currently face.