Alarming obesity levels lead to poor health of Canadians

Canada, 22nd April: Obesity is rising among Canadians and is becoming a leading cause of several other ailments.

Health levels of Canadians are declining at an alarming rate as obesity increases the risk of developing several other diseases including cardiovascular ailments, stroke, breast cancer, kidney, and colon cancer, osteoarthritis, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Obesity top contributor to other diseases--As per the latest official statistics, nearly 25 percent of Canadian children and around 60 percent of Canadian adults happen to be obese. And it’s the leading cause of death of nearly 25,000 Canadians annually.

Scientific director of CON-RCO (Canadians Obesity Network-Reseau canadien en obesite), Dr. Arya M. Sharma, states that overweight or obesity is the top contributor to death, disease, low productivity levels and health care costs in Canada.

Health Strategy Innovation Cell’s Neil Seeman, in the April 2010 issue of Macleans states nearly 60 percent of chronic ailments are due to obesity. Nearly one out of 10 premature deaths of Canadian adults in the age-group between 20-64 years are due to obesity. Obesity is significantly affecting Canadians and hence the epidemic can be reversed through effective policy solutions, he asserted.

Obesity- top health-issue of Canada--Findings of a recent survey show that nearly one-third of Canadians admit obesity to be the top health-concern engulfing the nation. Nearly 35 percent of Canadian youth and 37 percent of Canadian adults say obesity is top health issue.

The survey findings are not going to surprise the Canadians keeping in view the high costs of health care on obesity and overweight in Canada cost a whopping $6 billion dollars in the year 2006. Not to ignore several indirect expenses involved with high obese levels among Canadians including psychological expenditure and low productivity.

Obesity-related costs going up in Canada--Health care costs involving obesity were stated to be nearly $1.25 billion in the year 2005. And if we take into account the percentage of Alberta’s population out of the total population of the nation which is just 11 percent, then the obesity-related health care costs of Canada may come out to be around $10 billion.

Canada needs to ponder in terms of action and advocacy to control the most significant health concern of the nation, states an obesity physician in Ottawa and president of RCC (Reality Coalition Canada) Dr. Yoni Freedhoff.