Obesity In Australia Essay
1.0 Australia has record numbers of obesity. Diseases and illness are directly correlated to an increase Body Mass Index (BMI). A culture of processed foods has spoiled our culture and connection to the food we eat. As time progresses statistics are worsening and this report addresses the problem and recommends a series of solutions in order to continue an increasing life span for Australians.
2.0 An epidemic of childhood obesity has arisen as a serious problem in the Australia. Australian adolescents have been diagnosed with a plethora of preventable diseases. Obesity found in children has more than doubled in today’s generation. A major study on four million adults proved that Body Mass Index (BMI) …show more content…
is directly correlated with decreased life expectancy. A British medical journal wrote that an increase in your BMI past “overweight” would increase your chances for a premature death by 33%. This would be the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents in history!
3.1 Australia wide 10% of people suffer from Asthma although local data reports that only 1% of students at Palm Beach Currumbin SHS are reporting asthmatic prevalence. Mental illness is estimated to affect half of all Australians. The surveyed results ranked teenage pregnancy at a mere 3% in the community, although in the past 40 years teenage pregnancy in Australia has been more than halved at 0.146%. A shocking 61.6% of children aged 12-17 have consumed alcohol in the past twelve months, students reported this was the largest issue at school. Diabetes at Palm Beach Currumbin SHS was one of the lowest at a mere 2% when 5.4% of Australians suffer from the metabolic disease. Being a competitive sports school students ranked injury as the second highest at 22%. All of these statistics represent prominence of adolescent health issues in our school community.
3.2 In Australia 62.8% percent of over 18’s were classified as overweight. According to the Palm Beach SHS survey only 7% percent of students thought it was a prevalent issue. Major food corporations have controlled the food systems in Australia and engineered unhealthy choices to be significantly lower in price compared to foods higher in nutrition density to ensure that Australians can afford to eat the necessary calories and sustain an unhealthy lifestyle. Junk food is targeted towards people with a lower socioeconomic status, this food typically is high calories low in essential proteins, lacking vital fats and amino acids necessary for proper growth and development. Instead the nutrition is substituted with harmful preservatives, sodium and cholesterol. Adults that are obese or overweight significantly increased their risk of; sleep apnoea, cardiovascular diseases, renal dysfunction, type two diabetes, cognitive impairment and depression, cancer, fatty liver disease and osteoarthritis. It has been proven that obesity and BMI has a direct correlation with premature death!
3.3 The term overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat.
Australia was ranked 13th by the World Health Organisation in prevalence of overweight categorising. After a study done by the British medical journal on average there is a $1.50 increase in healthier food prices which does not seem to be very expensive but over the course of one year this can add up to $550 per person just for the added benefits of eating healthier. This can be difficult for some families, costs can became up to $2250 in a family of four. This can be considered an expensive lifestyle unavailable to the average family. There are extreme health complications involved with obesity! A report published By The Medical Journal of Australia states that $21 billion in medical costs was directly associated to obesity in Australia (2005).
4.0 Obesity in Australia has been at an incremental incline and must go down in the near future of our society, to ensure a prosperous healthy life for the next generation of Australians! Slowly people are beginning to realise the problem at hand and face it head on with a variety of solutions. Obesity is a disease that is consuming the lives of Australian adolescents. Large corporations and the economic greed. Our busy lives have cleared a space for processed foods, sugary drinks and a culture of
laziness.
5.0 Scientists have determined that this will be the first generation in history to have a life span that is shorter than their parents. Schools can be the root of the problem or the start if the solution. Schools can place more emphasis on sport, healthy eating and nutrition in the day to day education system. As schools develop an increased awareness of “healthy habits” they are educating Australian families of the importance in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The Australian government should invest in national mandated lunch programs that incorporate healthy options at the canteen. Previous Gaelic dramas included Machair, a soap based on Lewis which was broadcast in the 1990s. There are a plethora of unhealthy foods in our schools with abysmal healthy choices to counteract the sugar, and fat rich cookies, chips and lollies sold nation wide. Over the past 50 years the time spent in the kitchen preparing home cooked family meals has dwindled, this has seen an increase in unhealthy processed foods in our diet! There are countless articles, diets and fads every day to ‘lose weight’ or ‘get fit’ but these are manufactured lies. The pillars of healthy living are; moderation, healthy choices by incorporating fruit and vegetables, active lifestyle and minimising processed foods that are consumed!
2.0 An epidemic of childhood obesity has arisen as a serious problem in the Australia. Australian adolescents have been diagnosed with a plethora of preventable diseases. Obesity found in children has more than doubled in today’s generation. A major study on four million adults proved that Body Mass Index (BMI) …show more content…
is directly correlated with decreased life expectancy. A British medical journal wrote that an increase in your BMI past “overweight” would increase your chances for a premature death by 33%. This would be the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents in history!
3.1 Australia wide 10% of people suffer from Asthma although local data reports that only 1% of students at Palm Beach Currumbin SHS are reporting asthmatic prevalence. Mental illness is estimated to affect half of all Australians. The surveyed results ranked teenage pregnancy at a mere 3% in the community, although in the past 40 years teenage pregnancy in Australia has been more than halved at 0.146%. A shocking 61.6% of children aged 12-17 have consumed alcohol in the past twelve months, students reported this was the largest issue at school. Diabetes at Palm Beach Currumbin SHS was one of the lowest at a mere 2% when 5.4% of Australians suffer from the metabolic disease. Being a competitive sports school students ranked injury as the second highest at 22%. All of these statistics represent prominence of adolescent health issues in our school community.
3.2 In Australia 62.8% percent of over 18’s were classified as overweight. According to the Palm Beach SHS survey only 7% percent of students thought it was a prevalent issue. Major food corporations have controlled the food systems in Australia and engineered unhealthy choices to be significantly lower in price compared to foods higher in nutrition density to ensure that Australians can afford to eat the necessary calories and sustain an unhealthy lifestyle. Junk food is targeted towards people with a lower socioeconomic status, this food typically is high calories low in essential proteins, lacking vital fats and amino acids necessary for proper growth and development. Instead the nutrition is substituted with harmful preservatives, sodium and cholesterol. Adults that are obese or overweight significantly increased their risk of; sleep apnoea, cardiovascular diseases, renal dysfunction, type two diabetes, cognitive impairment and depression, cancer, fatty liver disease and osteoarthritis. It has been proven that obesity and BMI has a direct correlation with premature death!
3.3 The term overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat.
Australia was ranked 13th by the World Health Organisation in prevalence of overweight categorising. After a study done by the British medical journal on average there is a $1.50 increase in healthier food prices which does not seem to be very expensive but over the course of one year this can add up to $550 per person just for the added benefits of eating healthier. This can be difficult for some families, costs can became up to $2250 in a family of four. This can be considered an expensive lifestyle unavailable to the average family. There are extreme health complications involved with obesity! A report published By The Medical Journal of Australia states that $21 billion in medical costs was directly associated to obesity in Australia (2005).
4.0 Obesity in Australia has been at an incremental incline and must go down in the near future of our society, to ensure a prosperous healthy life for the next generation of Australians! Slowly people are beginning to realise the problem at hand and face it head on with a variety of solutions. Obesity is a disease that is consuming the lives of Australian adolescents. Large corporations and the economic greed. Our busy lives have cleared a space for processed foods, sugary drinks and a culture of
laziness.
5.0 Scientists have determined that this will be the first generation in history to have a life span that is shorter than their parents. Schools can be the root of the problem or the start if the solution. Schools can place more emphasis on sport, healthy eating and nutrition in the day to day education system. As schools develop an increased awareness of “healthy habits” they are educating Australian families of the importance in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The Australian government should invest in national mandated lunch programs that incorporate healthy options at the canteen. Previous Gaelic dramas included Machair, a soap based on Lewis which was broadcast in the 1990s. There are a plethora of unhealthy foods in our schools with abysmal healthy choices to counteract the sugar, and fat rich cookies, chips and lollies sold nation wide. Over the past 50 years the time spent in the kitchen preparing home cooked family meals has dwindled, this has seen an increase in unhealthy processed foods in our diet! There are countless articles, diets and fads every day to ‘lose weight’ or ‘get fit’ but these are manufactured lies. The pillars of healthy living are; moderation, healthy choices by incorporating fruit and vegetables, active lifestyle and minimising processed foods that are consumed!