Overweight and Obesity in Australia

The following example essay on “Overweight and Obesity in Australia” takes a comprehensive look at the problem of abnormal or excessive body fat that can be detrimental to health.

Introduction

There are several health issues keep thriving even after being addressed and demand a consistent and long term approach towards them. They can range from mental health, obesity, drug use, or sexual and reproductive health issues. A pattern can be observe of a consistent existence of determinants which continue effecting individuals at different stages of their lives.

The purpose of policy formulation is to mitigate the effect of these determinants and risk factors involve in it. For instance persons biological, genetic characteristics, environment and lifestyle might be the factors impacting the sustained growth of that health issue. However our focus in this report will be on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in women and health, social and economic impacts of it. This report will collect variety of information in order to create a clear picture of overweight and obesity in City of Whittlesea in the light of Victorian public health and well-being plan 2015-19 and how this council is addressing this issue.

What are the gaps needs to be addressed, whether the outcomes set are practical or ideal and to what extent they have been achieved. (187)

Overweight and Obesity

Australia is facing major public health crises regarding overweight and obesity, which resulted from sustained energy imbalance with respect to greater energy intake from eating and drinking than little expending through physical activity.

Get quality help now

writer-Charlotte

Verified

Proficient in: Disease

4.7 (348)

“ Amazing as always, gave her a week to finish a big assignment and came through way ahead of time. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

World health organization defined it as Overweight and obesity refers to excessive fat accumulation that presents health risks (WHO, 2016).

According to WHO, Overweight and obesity affects the whole community throughout the life stages. Several intervention points at different life stages have been proposed, including during childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, pregnancy, and menopause (WHO, 2000). That’s why, This is not only national dilemma but an international one, according to WHO survey worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975, in 2016 more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight and of these over 650 million were obese or overall about 13% of the world’s adult population (11% of men and 15% of women) were obese in 2016 (WHO, 2016).

However the fundamental cause behind this high rate in women is an increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat and involvement in physical inactivity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, increasing urbanization and changed modes of transportation. According to Australian Bureau of statistics report , Australians spent an average of 34 hours per week sitting at leisure, up from 31 hours per week in 201112 (ABS 2014- 15). Thats why this increasing rate in leisure sitting suggests sedentary behavior and showing alarming health risks involve with it. However in Australia more than one in four adults is obese (OECD, 2017).

Although Victorian state has lowest of all states obesity around 17% but according to 2015-19 Victorian health and well-being plan this rate has been increasing and now Victoria is now becoming an obese society, with over 2.3 million adults and children overweight or obese (Victorian health and well-being plan, 2015-19).

Consuming low-nutrient, energy-dense foods, and drinks, not doing enough physical activity, a sedentary lifestyle, and insufficient sleep can result in weight gain, leading to overweight and obesity (CDC 2016). In Victorian state about one-third of whole energy comes discretionary items, such as energy-dense items of little nutritional value such as biscuits, snack bars, alcohol and soft drinks (Victorian health and well-being plan, 2015-19). The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend a diet relatively high in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish, and reduced fat dairy in order to control obesity.

Raised body mass index (BMI) is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), which were the leading cause of death in 2012 diabetes musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis  a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints) some cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon) (WHO, 2018).

14% future disease burden can be reduced if the population at risk reduced their body mass index (BMI) by 1% and maintain these rates and 6% burden can be reduced if only current increases in overweight and obesity in population is halted (AIHW, 2018). Obesity and overweight not only costing human life but also national economy, as according to AIWH report illness associated with overweight and obesity have a significant impact on the Australian economy (AIWH, 2018).

Recently, PwC Australia estimated that obesity cost the Australian economy $8.6 billion in 2014-15, if this rate is not controlled it can cause $87.7 billion in additional costs due to obesity over a 10-year period in 2024-2025 (PwC, 2015). According to the same report, in 202425, a great number of people will be obese class III (BMI of 40.00 kg/m2 or more), which can lead to higher health risks and costs. Thats why the Department of Health has developed Australias Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines, which recommend the type, duration, intensity, and frequency of physical activity, and practices for sedentary behaviour, for people of different life stages (AIHW, 2017). (800)

Vulnerable Population group

As already discussed above the huge gape in male(71%) and female(56%) obesity rate, in this section we will try to identify what risk factors are involved in causing high obesity rate in male.

Environmental

The occupation and place where a man lives or any nearby places decides the factors which affects women health through food outlets nearby, working hours, vending machines, and transport access. Occupation also plays a role, with predominantly office-type settings being associated with sedentary work (Parry & Straker 2013). Relationships between determinants of health and wellbeing across the life course (Victorian health and well-being plan 2015-19) Not only this but home and neighborhood also provide complex environment for healthy lifestyle choices, again here such opportunities should be provided which eradicate the sedentary activities at home.

Social

Society is setting our food trends and which as data provided above more inclining towards energy dense discretionary food items. High advertisement on social media is also a factor setting individual behavior and trends. Discretionary foods contributed 35% of energy intake for women (ABS, 2014). Economical: from lower socio-economic areas are more obese due to poor diet, as they cannot afford to follow balance diet sheet uploaded by Australian Health authorities. In 2014–15, three-quarters of men living in Inner regional areas (75%) and Outer regional/Remote areas (74%) were overweight or obese, compared with just over two- thirds (69%) of men in Major cities (AIHW, 2017).

Family factor

The most significant element of the family environment that impact and increase the risk of young person obesity include the increased trend of eating out; greater access to passive activities such as television watching and playing games, particularly during meal times; and neglect (Ebbeling et al., 2002). (300) City of Whittlesea

Municipal health and wellbeing plan

According to City of Whittlesea survey, around one quarter (24%) of Whittlesea adults do no involve in physical activity in a week, which is above the state average of 19%. Men are likely to sit for longer each day (309.6 minutes) than women (284.1 minutes), although having the highest sports club membership. As according to Victorian Population Health Survey of 2016 in Whittlesea, In 2008, 47.6% of males and 28.8% of females in the City of Whittlesea were overweight, similar to Victorian males and females (39.9% and 24.2% respectively) (Victorian Population Health Survey, 2016).

More than one in seven males (17.0%) and 19.1% of females were obese, also similar to Victorian males and females (17.3% and 16.1% respectively) and males in the City were also Increase rate of obesity in male Sever obesity raise between 1995-2014 Low socio-economic background, increase in discretionary food, Sedentary lifestyle Inclined toward discretionary foods, Imbalanced nutrition, Family structure failed to improve physical activity, Disinterestedness on part of male more likely to be overweight compared with the females in the city (City of Whittlesea, 2015).

This shows a significant trend toward sedentary behavior and lack of good environment to engage these people with physical activities. Not only this a huge nutritional difference has been found among male and female, as according to 2017 Whittlesea health and wellbeing survey , 9.3% of females and 5.0% of males in the City met the national dietary guidelines for vegetable consumption. More than half of females (50.6%) and 36.3% of males in the City met the dietary guidelines for fruit consumption, with respect to Victorian females and males (53.5% and 41.0% respectively) (City of Whittlesea, 2017-21). This is strange how, 82% of sports club members in the City of Whittlesea are male (Whittlesea health and wellbeing 2017-21).

Unfortunately, still male obesity and overweight is rising. In 2012 a state-wide survey identified that Whittlesea residents had the lowest rate of “visits to green space more than once per week in the State only 34% (City of Whittlesea, 2017-21). These indicators show that, Whittlesea council has been unable to change people behavior toward inactive life and food choices. There is a need to improve their socio-economic status too as in Financial vulnerability, The index ranks the City of Whittlesea as the 38th most disadvantaged municipality out of 79 in Victoria and Thomastown and Lalor rank as two of the most socio-economically disadvantaged suburbs in Victoria in 2011 (Australian Bureau of statistics, 2011).

However according to 2015-19 plan of City of Whittlesea for obesity control policies are concentrated on campaigning against sedentary way of life in all sections of community, and to enhance the trend of balanced nutrition in male community, which is highly lagging behind female and to mitigate the environment factor, as Whittlesea do not provide good parks and tracks to walk. All these factors are equally participating in increasing male obesity rate in this city and have been highlighted in Whittlesea health and wellbeing plan 2017-21 and different future goals have been set to achieve. (500)

Conclusion

Obesity has been the key issue of Australian, Victorian and City of Whittlesea health policy for decades. All the determinants are equally significant to be addressed, as even if one is missing, it will devalue the work on other factors as closely observed in the case of City of Whittlesea. It was also negligence on the part of male community too, as this is their responsibility also to engage themselves in those activities, which can reduce their obesity and save them in the end from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes etc.

Reason of dis-interestedness from male community can be the factor of reduction in physical activity, thats why Council should assert the argument of this well-observed change in attitude toward physical activity in man and build the next policies more of Psychic based, where indicators of this change should be identified and mitigated in well- organized plan. Not only solid policies, but solid implementation is the need of time. (150)

Reference

1. ABS 2014. Australian Health Survey: nutrition first resultsfoods and nutrients, 2011–12. Cat. no. 4364.0.55.007
2. ABS 2015. National Health Survey: first results, 201415 AIHW (Australian institute of health and welfare) 2017. A picture of overweight and obesity in Australia, Available from: 216.pdf.aspx?inline=true p.17 [8 April 2019]
3. AIHW (Australian institute of health and welfare) 2018. Burden of Disease due to overweight and obesity, Available from: 2018/contents/burden-of-disease-scenario-modelling/overweight-obesity [7 April, 2019]
4. Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Socioeconomic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Available From: < www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/seifa> [9 April, 2019]
5. CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) 2015. Strategies to prevent obesity. Available from: www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies [6 April 2019]
6. City of Whittlesea 2015, City of Whittlesea Youth Plan 2017, Available from: plan-summary-accessible-word_commonlook.pdf
7. City of Whittlesea 2017, Health and wellbeing partnership plan, 2017-21 Available from: temp-sarah-cs-community-wellbeing-health-plan-hwpp-final-hardcopy-highres.pdf [9 April, 2019]
8. Ebbeling, C, Pawiak, D. & Ludwig, D. (2002). Childhood obesity: public health crisis, common sense cure, The Lancet, 360, 473-482.
9. OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ) 2017, Obesity Update, Available from:[5 April 2019]
10. Parry S & Straker L 2013. The contribution of office work to sedentary behaviour associated risk. BMC Public Health 13, Available from: [8 April 2019]
11. PwC Australia 2015. Weighing the cost of obesity: a case for action
12. VicHealth, 2016, VicHealth Indicators Survey 2015, LGA Profile factsheets and topic factsheets
13. Ibd, 2016, VicHealth Indicators Survey 2015, LGA Profile factsheets and topic factsheets
14. Victorian health and well-being plan 2015-19, Available from: [6 April 2019]
15. WHO (World health organization) 2000, Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic, WHO Technical Report Series 894:ixii, 1253
16. WHO (World health organization) 2016, Definition of obesity, Available from: p. 4 [5 April 2019].
17. WHO (World health organization) 2018, Obesity and overweight, Available from: [6 April, 2019]