Wednesday, 5 June 2013

Obesity!

Obesity is a growing problem in most countries, the top 10 being:
United States with 30.6%
Mexico with 24.2%
United Kingdom with 23% 
Slovakia with 22.4%
Greece with 21.9%
Australia with 21.7%
New Zealand with 20.9%
Hungary with 18.8%
Luxembourg with 18.4%
Czech Republic with 14.8%

Obesity does not just happen overnight, it develops gradually from poor diet and lifestyle choices, such as no exercise, eating large amounts of food in small amouts of time, binge eating/ comfort eating. 


Unhealthy eating habits tend to run in families, as you learn bad eating habits from your parents. Childhood obesity can be a strong indicator of weight-related health problems in later life, showing that if children have learnt unhealthy lifestyle choices, those choices continue those into adulthood.

Obesity rates in Australia have more than doubled over the past 20 years.

Around seven million Australians are now overweight or obese. Estimates taken in the year 2000 suggest that, even though more men are overweight than women, obesity is more common among women. The rates of overweight and obesity are rapidly increasing and it is estimated that, at the current rate of increase, about 75 per cent of the Australian population will be overweight or obese by 2020.

There are many risks of being obese, a few of them being:
               Stroke.
Being overweight or obese can lead to a buildup of plaque in your arteries. Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture, causing a blood clot to form.
If the clot is close to your brain, it can block the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain and cause a stroke.




             
             Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome.

Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS) is a breathing disorder that affects some obese people. In OHS, poor breathing results in too much carbon dioxide (hypoventilation) and too little oxygen in the blood (hypoxemia).
OHS can lead to serious health problems and may even cause death.





Osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a common joint problem of the knees, hips, and lower back. The condition occurs if the tissue that protects the joints wears away. Extra weight can put more pressure and wear on joints, causing pain.







As you can see, Obesity is an on coming problem that needs to be prevented; not only in Australia but around the World.

Thanks. :)