Obesity Rates in Canada: a Quarter of All Canadians are Obese

If obesity rates in America have reached epidemic proportions, those in the neighboring north are not much better with as many as a fourth of all Canadians being considered obese.

What is more alarming is the fact that obesity rates in Canada have risen dramatically over the past quarter of a century according to Statistics Canada. According to studies conducted on about 35,000 Canadians with respect to their height and weight, the results showed about 23 per cent of all adults were obese which translates to about five and a half million Canadians.

Tripling of Young Obese Persons in Canada

The fact is that during the late seventies, there were only 14 per cent obese Canadians. Among the adults aged between 25 and 34 as well as those aged 75 or more recorded the highest increase in obesity and in fact their numbers almost doubled – according to obesity rates in Canada released by Canadian Community Health Survey. What’s worse is that according to the same source, there was a tripling in the rates of obese young people in Canada especially among those aged between 12 and 17.

To reverse such disturbing trends in obesity rates in Canada, nutritionists at University of Alberta have come up with a program that is hospital-based which aims to help children improve their eating habits. They also want to inculcate the habit of exercising and to impart health education to them so that they can avoid foods that cause obesity and veer towards consuming healthy foods that will help them stay fit and which can prolong their lives as well.

Other disturbing news that was learnt while studying the obesity rates in Canada showed that on a provincial level, the rate of obese men in Canada were significantly higher than the national average in places such as Labrador and Newfoundland as well as in Manitoba. Even women living in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan had higher rates than the national average.

The only silver lining on a cloudy horizon was that the obesity rates in Canada were not as high as in the United States and whereas there were 23 per cent of obese Canadians, in the United States this figure stood at almost 30 per cent. The solutions are the same regardless of where you live. Eat fruits and vegetables and whole grains and start exercising – the umbers will start to drop automatically.

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