Essay On Obesity In Australia

“Children and adolescents who are obese are more likely to be obese as adults, putting them more at risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, types of cancers, osteoarthritis, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, increases risk for many types of cancer including breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate” (“Childhood Obesity Facts”). A person can increase the risk of getting several diseases if having bad eating habits, exercise

Overweight is fast becoming an ubiquitous trait in Australia. According to the 2005 National Health Survey, 53.6% of Australians reported being overweight, defined as having a Body-Mass Index (BMI) of over 25%. (AIHW, 2005, p. 182). This is partly caused by diets which are high in saturated fat and dependent on processed foods over fresh foods. It is also caused by a continuously sedentary lifestyle, as most Australians perform their job sitting down in an office setting and are, furthermore, compelled stay tethered to their computers lest they miss an important communication.

“During the past two decades, the prevalence of obesity in children has risen greatly worldwide. Obesity in childhood causes a wide range of serious complications, and increases the risk of premature illness and death later in life, raising public-health concerns.” (Ebbeling, Pawlak & Ludwig, 2002 p.471) Currently in the Australian community and schools there is an obesity epidemic in young people with many children doing less and less physical activity then advised. “In 2007-08 the National health survey, run by the Australian Government indicated that 24.9% of children aged 5-17 years old were either overweight or obese” (Healthy Active, 2009). These figures show that children are not being properly educated about healthy

Though many are suffering from malnutrition and anorexia, Australia is becoming a major part of an epidemic that is impacting mass number of people globally. Obesity. In every three Australians, 2 will be obese. Obesity, though preventable, is very damaging to the society due to the health aspects and societal impacts. The shocking figures are only expected to increase, unless there are immediate changes applied to the current diet and lifestyle habits. Furthermore, as a chain affect, the risk of developing other diseases increases drastically.

Sadly, in Australia, one in five teenagers are obese, while twenty four percent are overweight. The guiding questions to my issue are: 1. What are the causes and therefore possible methods of preventing childhood obesity? 2. How do parents influence their children’s

Obesity can be defined as being 20% or more over the ideal body weight for your age and height. It is a chronic disease that can lead to a number of different illnesses and other diseases . These potentially deadly illnesses include diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, coronary vascular disease, heart attack, stroke, sleep apnoea and even cancer. Obesity is becoming more common in Australia as we speak with 10% more adults being overweight or obese in Australia than in 1995. According to recent statistics 63% of adults and 1 in 4 Australian children are overweight or obese.

OBESITY IN Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network Health Assessment OBESITY IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN SYDNEY 1.0 INTRODUCTION Obesity a major public health issue results from a sustained energy imbalance when energy intake from eating and drinking is greater than energy expended through physical activity. This energy imbalance might be influenced by a person’s biological and genetic characteristics, and by lifestyle factors. This report brings together a variety of information to create a picture of overweight and obesity in Central and Eastern Sydney.

Increasing rates of childhood obesity is a current and significant health issue in Australia. In Australia alone the obesity in children have doubled in recent years with a quarter of children considered overweight or obese. Levels of childhood obesity have been rising each year and for numerous reasons some which include the fact that children have been eating food which are high in sugars and fats and spending less time on physical activity. Studies have shown that when children become overweight they are more likely to become and stay obese while moving into adulthood, children also have an increased risk of developing both short and long term associated health conditions. Some associated health conditions include cardiovascular diseases,

Obesity is a public health issue that has devastatingly developed into a global epidemic. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is dramatically increasing worldwide at an appalling and intimidating rate with more than 1.9 billion adults aged18 years and older being overweight in 2014. Out of these 1.9 billion adults being overweight, 600 million were classified obese. While the issue regarding overweight and obesity are prevalent in all countries, the National Health and Medical Research Council stated that Australia’s obesity levels have been developing faster than any countries in the world over the past thirty years. Although obesity may have been primarily considered as a personal concern three decades ago; it is overwhelmingly a societal concern today in Australia. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare have measured that in 2011 and 2012, around 63% of Australian adults had the characteristics of being overweight and corpulence. That is over a quarter of the adult population in Australia being obese.

There are over 1.5 million Australians with diabetes. The groups most at risk are people aged over 45 years old, overweight people, people with family history, females with the history of gestational diabetes, people who consume a diet high in sugar, and ATSI people.

Currently, in Australia, 1 in 4 children are classified as overweight or obese; and the setting surrounding children has been identified as an attribute for this rising prevalence (1). Between 1985 and 1995, Australian children aged 5-14 years, the growth of obesity and overweight epidemic doubled to reach 20% (2). Although the prevalence have plateaued over the last 17 years, the rates continue to remain high, and therefore a cause for concern.

Obesity is the problem when the individual gains excess of body fat that it may cause a negative impact on his health in terms of suffering from type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or even cancer (Brownson et al., 2009). With the increase in fat in the body, the risk of these diseases increases in the individual. The problem of obesity has significantly increased with time amongst the people of Australia. 28% adults were obese as per the statistics of the year 2014-15 in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018). The children are also suffering from the problem in the country. It has been noted that for the year 2014-15, one out of four children aged between 2 to 17 years were found obese or overweight

One of the growing concerns in Australia and many other modern countries is the obesity epidemic. The increasingly alarming issues of obesity and its effect on the Australian Government needs to be raised and dealt with in a quick yet cost effective manner to help prevent further burden on the Australian population. One of the more crucial issues that needs to be addressed is the problem of “lenient” (Champion, Giles & Moore 2010, p. 24) parenting methods which may be the cause and effect of obesity in children through to adolescents. The importance of this issue is expressed through suggestions that the parents of obese children should be held “criminally liable”, and the arguments towards exposing children to the long-term health consequences

In our group assessment we all decided to research obesity and the affects it is having on the Australian population. This subject was good for me, I had already researched the topic before, this allowed me to really get a deeper understanding of the topic and find a way to show how much of problem for generations to deal with. Obesity is a growing problem in Australia with almost 63% of all Australians being obese and 10% more people overweight than in 1995.

Childhood obesity has now reached an epidemic in several parts of the United States. As a result, children now have a higher risk to have numerous chronic and acute medical problems. Several of the long-lasting medical problems a child might face as a result of obesity could eventually result in death. In addition to chronic medical problems, childhood obesity has severe psychosocial effects on an individual such as low self-esteem and depression. Childhood obesity is a serious problem that is caused by a numerous amount of factors that can eventually lead to severe health complications.