The obese Canadian percentage is about 10% less than their southern neighbors in the United States. Less than a quarter of Canadian adults (24.1 percent) are obese, compared to more than a third (34.4 percent) of U.S. adults.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a first of its kind detailed report comparing the two nations and the numbers are staggering. The researchers found that among Canadian men, 24.3% are considered obese, compared with 32.6% of the American population.
The gap was even wider among women. Twenty four percent of Canadian women were obese between 2007 and 2009, compared with 36.2% of women in the United States. The prevalence of obesity among men has increased over the past two decades by about 10 percentage points in Canada and 12 percentage points in the U.S. The percentage changes among women were eight and 10, respectively.
Among men, the increase in both countries has been highest among seniors, aged 60 to 74, but among women, the increase has been highest among those in the 20 to 39 category.
However, ethnic melting pot make-ups may be an interesting factor. The American non-white population is comprised mainly of Hispanics and blacks, who are statistically more likely to become obese than white Americans and have a higher sodium and glucose intake.
Canadian non-whites are composed primarily of East/Southeast Asians, who are less likely to become obese than white Canadians.
Obesity is a public health challenge throughout the world. Ongoing monitoring of trends in obesity is important to assess interventions aimed at preventing or reducing the burden of obesity according to the CDC.
Since the 1960s, measured height and weight have been collected in the United States as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In Canada, data on measured height and weight have been collected from nationally representative samples of the population less regularly.
Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher. Dieting and physical exercise are the mainstays of treatment for obesity. Moreover, it is important to improve diet quality by reducing the consumption of energy-dense foods such as those high in fat and sugars, and by increasing the intake of dietary fiber. To supplement this, or in case of failure, anti-obesity drugs may be taken to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In severe cases, surgery is performed or an intragastric balloon is placed to reduce stomach volume and/or bowel length, leading to earlier satiation and reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food.
Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. Obesity is stigmatized in much of the modern world (particularly in the Western world), though it was widely perceived as a symbol of wealth and fertility at other times in history, and still is in some parts of the world.
As societies become increasingly reliant on energy-dense, big-portion, fast-food meals, the association between fast-food consumption and obesity becomes more concerning.] In the United States consumption of fast-food meals tripled and calorie intake from these meals quadrupled between 1977 and 1995.
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Written by Sy Kraft, B.A.