Studies show that the population of obese and overweight in developed countries are increasing at an alarming rate. In fact, the World Health Organization has already ring the alarm on the rapid spread of this epidemic in English-speaking industrialized nations such as the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Canada. The issue of weight is not just about vanity—weight is a determining factor that has been found significant in the diagnosis of diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Weight also reflects a certain level of an active lifestyle, and even mobility and work productivity. Canada has already lost 4.3 billion dollars in the year 2001 because of the prevalence of people suffering from obesity. This 4.3 billion dollar-lost accounted to 2.2% of the total health care costs of the country. There has been a sharp increase in the population of overweight and obese from the year the 1970s to the 1990s from 9.7% to 14.9%. This pervasive disease was found to be very prominent among children ages eleven years old and below. In 1981, overweight children were estimated at 11.4%. In 1996, there was a close to threefold increase of overweight children in Canada that accounts to 29.3% (Vanasse et al., 2006).
Several factors were linked to overweight such as energy intake, economic factors, and frequency of physical activity. A study shows that economic factors can have a profound effect on the nutrient intake of an individual. That is; people in Arctic Canada for instance shift from traditional food to processed foods that are high in fat and sugar because of high food prices for organic food. In a study involving 441 adults, 10% of the total food expenditure are mostly spent on fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and starch-loaded products such as grains and potatoes. While 17% are spent on traditional meat and 20% are allocated for non-traditional meat, majority of the proportion of their food budget (i.e. 34%) are spent on fast-food or non-nutrient-dense food (NNDF). Results also showed that people with higher educational attainment spend less on NNDF as opposed to those with lower levels of education. This study indicates that the gap in generation between the young and old may be attributed to more people spending their household income on NNDF. The youth has the tendency to consume more NNDF compared to the older generation which also indicates the high population of obese children (Pakseresht, 2014).
Gittelsohn et al. (1998) demonstrated the relationship of food consumption patterns to the prevalence of diabetes and obesity among children in the native community of Northwestern Ontario. Findings show that the high consumption of junk food, and bread and butter food were significantly associated to a high risk of having diabetes and obesity as opposed to the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Further, Gittelsohn et al. (1998) that higher food intake of food rich in fat are also associated to diabetes and obesity. In a more recent study conducted in the United States in 2004, Bray et al. (2004) examined the relationship between the prevalence obesity and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) intake. Findings suggest that the increased intake of HFCS that are found in drinks such as soda results to a higher risk of obesity. This weight gain is explained by the fact that dietary fructose favors a de novo lipogenesis pathway—fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion that is important in the regulation of food intake and body weight. Thus, the increase in HFCS consumption is significantly related to obesity.
In a study conducted by Winson (2008) among high school students in Ontario, results revealed that most schools in Canadian provinces sells products that have minimum or no nutrition value at all for a long period of time. There is the prevalence of nutrient-poor food in most schools that were indicated in several studies in the US and Canada. Most of the student population in both countries consume products that are high in fat, sugar, and salt which are sold in the school despite the alternative healthy and nutritious options that are also offered. Most students, also but side dishes, desserts and snacks with low nutrient value.
According to Haman et al. (2010), it is important to develop a strategy that focuses on the adequacy of diet to combat, obesity and other related diseases such as diabetes mellitus. Haman et al. (2010) also pointed out that genetics is not enough to explain the prevalence of obesity in a particular community such as Northwestern Ontario. Problems in food security to include the limited access to a healthier food option results to the further development of obesity. That low-quality foods typically sold in store become the most affordable and highly available, should be taken into consideration. In another study, the food environment in some of the schools in Canada was linked to the negative eating behaviors of the children. Browning et al. (2013) suggested that the Canadian government may learn from the policies of the local councils in England on banning fast food merchants on schools to lower the incidence of obesity.
References
Bray GA, Nielsen SJ, Popkin BM. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004;79:537–43.
Browning, H. F., Laxer, R. E., M.Sc, & Janssen, I., PhD. (2013). Food and eating environments: In canadian schools. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 74(4), 160-6.
Gittelsohn, J., Wolever, T. M. S., Harris, S. B., Harris-Giraldo, R., & etal. (1998). Specific patterns of food consumption and preparation are associated with diabetes and obesity in a native canadian community. The Journal of Nutrition, 128(3), 541-7.
Haman, F., Fontaine-bisson, B., Batal, M., Imbeault, P., Blais, J. M., & Robidoux, M. A. (2010). Obesity and type 2 diabetes in northern canada's remote first nations communities: The dietary dilemma. International Journal of Obesity, 34, S24-31. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2010.236.
Pakseresht, M., Lang, R., Rittmueller, S., Roache, C., Sheehy, T., Batal, M., . . . Sharma, S. (2014). Food expenditure patterns in the canadian arctic show cause for concern for obesity and chronic disease. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 11, 51. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-11-51.
Vanasse, A., Demers, M., Hemiari, A., & Courteau, J. (2006). Obesity in canada: Where and how many? International Journal of Obesity, 30(4), 677-83. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803168.
Winson, A. (2008). School food environments and the obesity issue: Content, structural determinants, and agency in Canadian high schools. Agriculture and Human Values, 25(4), 499-511. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10460-008-9139-8
