Childhood obesity in Canada
Sobering report from
CBC News:
Obese children will die younger than their parents: report
About one-quarter of Canadians aged two to 17 are overweight or obese, and they are expected to live shorter lives than their parents, the Commons health committee warned Tuesday.
An all-party committee report titled "Healthy Weight for Healthy Kids" calls on the federal government to stop the trend toward increasing obesity levels among Canadian children by the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, and to decrease levels by at least 25 per cent by 2020.
The excess weight puts children at risk of a myriad preventable health problems, including Type 2 diabetes, susceptibility to heart attack and stroke, joint problems and mental health issues.
"It has been said that obesity outranks both smoking and drinking now in its effects on health and health costs," said committee chair Rob Merrifield, a Conservative MP for the Alberta riding of Yellowhead.
And some numbers:
About one-quarter of Canadians aged two to 17 are overweight or obese, and they are expected to live shorter lives than their parents, the Commons health committee warned Tuesday.
And:
Rates among aboriginal children are worse, with 55 per cent living on reserves being overweight or obese, compared with 41 per cent for First Nations children living off reserves, said the report.
And of course, the report is calling for massive intervention by the Canadian Government instead of education of the parents and the children. Typical nanny-statism...
Posted by DaveH at March 27, 2007 7:24 PM