By Andrea Nicholl
A new survey reveals that Canadians aren’t fit, they’re fat and have become increasingly unhealthy.
According to data provided by the Canadian Health Measures Survey, conducted by Statistics Canada, the fitness levels of Canadian children, youth and adults significantly declined between 1981 and 2009.
Among youth (15 to 19), the percentage whose waist circumference put them at a high risk for health problems more than tripled between 1981 and 2009, while that of adults (20 to 39 years old) more than quadrupled.
Registered dietitian and public health nutritionist with Prairie North Health Region, Jennifer Miller isn’t surprised by the decline and said our nation has been on the unhealthy path for years.
“Obesity is a complex issue. A lot of people think it’s just what you eat and how much physical activity you do, but if there was a simple answer we probably wouldn’t have the problem any longer.”
Statistics released from a 2007 to 2009 study period reveal that 74 per cent of Canadian children and youth have an average body mass index, while 17 per cent were deemed overweight and nine per cent were obese. Nearly 28 per cent of adults were at a healthy weight, one per cent were underweight, 37 per cent were overweight and 24 per cent were obese.
“It’s definitely a concern because that puts children and adults at risk for chronic disease, but at the other end of the spectrum it also puts people more aware of those numbers and more into that diet mode,” said Miller.
“What scares me about that is people will have less healthy diet behaviours and will become more at risk for disordered eating, so I’d rather see us all approach our behaviours rather than that number on the scale.”
Miller said people must change their habits and environments if they hope to make long-term changes to their personal health and fitness.
“I encourage people to put that scale aside and focus on the behaviours that they can change. All too often I see people get on the scale and judge their day based on a number.
“You can’t change the scale, but you can change your habits. Each day is a completely new day and each meal is a new place for you to start with those healthy behaviours.”