Apparently, despite the fact that Australians are exercising more and smoking less, our nation’s overweight and obesity rate is on the rise. This is according to the most recent figures revealed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which show that while smoking rates are steadily declining, we’re still not doing enough to stop our waistlines expanding.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, with plenty of evidence to suggest that we’re becoming more aware of our health and fitness. Australians are becoming more active, but personal fitness is overtaking organised sports in popularity. This is possibly due to people becoming busier with work and family commitments, and increasing budget constraints.
This shift in the way we exercise isn’t necessarily a bad thing – as long as we’re working up a sweat, any exercise is good exercise in my opinion – but it isn’t doing anything to help ease our obesity problems. According to IBISworld, fast food remains a massive industry, expected to be worth $12.6 billion in 2012-13.
This completely surprises me, as I really thought the fast food message was getting through in a similar way to the smoking warnings were. Apparently not. According to the IBISworld report on the findings, health consciousness is expected to rise in Australia over the next five years, and Australians are forecast to drink and smoke less. However, the future of the obesity issue in Australia remains less clear.
Obesity remains a huge problem, and directly and indirectly places enormous pressure on Australia’s health system. In fact, 56 per cent of all premature deaths are linked to obesity. As a result, the Australian government yesterday released new Dietary Guidelines, which encourage people to eat a variety of foods from five different food groups, be physically active, and to take care of their food and the way they store it. The Guidelines also include sample meal plans for men, women and children.
With a less clear” outlook as to how our weight will change in the next five years, does more need to be done to raise awareness and education about our food and exercise choices?