Do Australians see obesity as an illness or a lack of self control?
Hanna Lindon weighs up the fat debate. It’s official Australians are getting fatter. A recent report from the World Health Organisation estimated that a massive 75.7 per cent of Australian males and 66.5 per cent of females would be overweight by 2010, with 28.4 per cent of males and 29.1 per cent of females weighing in as officially obese. The report further revealed that obesity levels among Australians is second only to the US. So where are the Australians going wrong? Well, for a start they’re addicted to fast food. Surveys of the average diet show that many Aussies have diets that are too high in fat and lacking in vitamins and minerals, while fast food joints abound in towns and cities. The latest research also seems to indicate that obesity is linked to social disadvantage. A study conducted by an associate professor of health and nutrition at the University of Sydney, Jenny O’Dea, found an obesity rate among aboriginal children of 20 per cent. In contrast, the obesity rate for
