The Dieticians Association of Australia (DAA) has launched the “Healthy Weight Week”. The DAA says that 61 per cent of Australian adults and 25 per cent of Australian children are either overweight or obese. At present there are really no drugs that provide long term weight loss. The only resort is surgery.
On the other hand a recent study published in the International Journal of Paediatrics found that obese children are 63 per cent more likely to be bullied, irrespective of sex, socioeconomic status, race, and type of school they attend. Research shows that stigma and discrimination are two of the highest predictors of poor mental and physical health. Dr Lyn Roberts announced at the ANZOS Conference in 2009 that 84 per cent of health professionals discriminate against those who are obese or overweight. This makes obese and overweight people shy away from doctor visits.
A latest study from Australia shows that people who were obese were more likely to report mental health problems. The team gathered data on the physical and mental health of more than 1,200 Queensland-based volunteers.
Those aged 45 to 54 years were found to be more likely to report emotional problems had affected their work or social activities compared with their healthy and overweight peers. They were also less likely to have felt calm and peaceful in the month prior to the study, though it was not clear whether obesity was the cause or effect of their mental health problems.
DAA spokesperson Lisa Renn said, “It’s one of those what comes first the chicken or the egg type of thing…If someone is obese they are going to have problems with their physical health, and poor physical health can lead issues with self esteem and body image and that increases anxiety and depression… The other side is those people who are suffering from anxiety and depression; they have a decreased ability to focus on their health and healthy eating and exercise. In that instance mental health (issue) comes first.” She added that many obese people could also experience a “cycle” where their obesity caused more anxiety which, in turn, prompted an increasingly unhealthy lifestyle.
The research was conducted by the Institute for Health and Social Science Research at the Rockhampton campus of Central Queensland University. It came out Australian Health Review late last year and highlighted by the DAA as part of its Australian Health Weight Week (January 23-30) initiative.
The week’s initiative also revealed in a DAA-commissioned Newspoll survey that only 12.3 per cent of Australian respondents were likely to visit an accredited practicing dietitian if they wanted to lose weight. This was compared to 16.1 per cent who would take diet advice from a book or magazine. According to Ms Renn magazines were a particularly “confusing” source of health information adding, “You’ve got a (fad) diet here as well as food suggestions, and we know some people see food advertisements and are stimulated to eat… So magazines can be quite a confusing source of information, and stimulation.”
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