Where we live, learn and work all factors in fighting obesity

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Where we live, learn and work all factors in fighting obesity

Provided by: Canadian Press

Feb. 15, 2006

TORONTO (CP) - It's a message that Canadians have heard repeatedly:

the key to cinching in the waistline is to eat healthy and keep

active. But a new report suggests that recipe is too simplistic for

the complex and ballooning problem of obesity.

The report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows

that where we live, learn, work and play can help make or break our

battle against the bulge.

" We see that the majority of Canadians see obesity as a personal

responsibility, but the message really is that while it's about our

individual choices, it's also about the social and environmental

factors that can make it easier or harder for us to make the right

choice, " said Gyorfi-Dyke, director of CIHI's Canadian

Population Health Initiative.

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For starters, where one lives - in a high-density city, sprawling

suburb or rural setting - can mean a significant difference in the

tendency towards obesity, because of access to physical activity and

healthy food, says the report released Wednesday.

Canadians living in areas where residents are more likely to bike or

take public transit to work are less likely to report being

overweight or obese, said the report, while those in neighbourhoods

where driving is the norm are more likely to pack on extra pounds.

In Canada as a whole, about 12 per cent of urban trips are made on

foot or by bicycle, slightly higher than the U.S. rate of seven per

cent, but far below that in the Netherlands (46 per cent) and

Denmark (41 per cent).

Furthermore, the report shows that only 18 per cent of Canadian

adults are physically active, while 58 per cent are inactive and the

rest moderately active.

" The evidence is mounting almost daily that where you have sprawl,

you have more obese people, " said Dr. Millar, executive

director of Population Health Surveillance and Disease Control

Planning for British Columbia. " And where you design a community

that doesn't have sidewalks, that doesn't have sports facilities and

parks, that doesn't have bike paths and hiking areas . . . the more

obesity you have. "

Income also seems to play a role in fighting obesity: CIHI found

that adults in the highest-income households are more likely to be

active, compared to adults in the low-and middle-income households.

" In large cities in Canada, in the low-income neighbourhoods,

there'll be no fresh fruit outlets, or a minimum, and many fast-food

outlets, " Millar observed. " If you are a single mother living on

welfare, it's cheaper to feed the family - at least keep them from

being hungry - by going out to buy high-energy, dense foods like

chips and pop and so forth.

" They can't afford to eat the more expensive fruits and vegetables. "

Schools and workplaces may also help or hinder the ability of

Canadians to maintain a healthy weight, experts say.

A study published in 2005 showed that students attending Nova Scotia

elementary schools with programs that incorporated healthy food and

physical activity had obesity rates 72 per cent lower than schools

without such programs and overweight rates almost 60 per cent lower.

The principal investigator of that study, Dr. Veugelers of the

University of Alberta, said Wednesday that the research results were

so impressive, Nova Scotia's government significantly expanded the

program. Other provinces are also beginning to pick up on the idea.

While the CIHI report suggests that 75 per cent of Canadians see

reducing obesity as a personal responsibility, Veugelers said the

advice to maintain a healthy diet and stay physically active

obviously isn't working.

" We've been shouting that for 20 years now, " he said from Edmonton,

noting that overweight and obesity levels among Canadian adults and

children continue to rise. (Canada's adult obesity rate is 23 per

cent and the overweight rate is 36 per cent; figures for children

two to 17 show 18 per cent are overweight and eight per cent obese.)

" More needs to happen in this society than to just say, 'Eat right

and exercise.' It just is not enough. "

CIHI is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing health

information to Canadians.

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On the Net:

www.cihi.ca