GERALDING BACTOL LAUNDRY

Assignment in _________________

OBESITY IN CANADA
“There is an epidemic in Canada that should be attended”, said one of my friends.
As we had a little chat with my friend, she told me that there was a health outbreak
existing in our country. The saddest irony is that that the Canadians were already aware of it yet
have a hard time in reducing it. As the motto says that health is wealth, it should not be denied
that we need to seek attention for our health or else we need to prepare for our death.
So, what is this? – OBESITY.
According to Merriam dictionary, obesity is a condition characterized by the excessive
accumulation and storage of fat in the body. The condition of obesity is highly proliferating for
almost three to four decades. Thus, it is also alarming when there will be a drastic change to its
increase as the primary player, the citizen, in the development of the country. It is even shown
in the statistical data that almost two thirds of the Canadian adults are obese. In fact, there was
a survey with regards to countries with a high obesity rate of adults and children furthermore, it
gives Canada the ranks fifth and sixth in the world respectively. Though if we will consider the flip
of the coin, obesity means also that the people in Canada have the money to spend even more
than the required food and nutrients in their body. Also, if we will talk about the economics side,
spending money could mean a better circulation of money. Yet, it could not be denied that the
birth of this condition is the birth also of its twin – chronic diseases.
The parallel increase in the graph of obesity and chronic diseases gives an emphatic point
to make the government be alarmed of the crisis. It is the concern of the government to take
charge of the health of its sovereignty. Thus, Health Canada took the initiative to be responsive
on this case. They have already provided information on the safety and nutritional value of the
food taken. They have already advised the Canadians to take proper diet. In fact, they have
created a food guide named Eating Well With Canada’s Food Guide. The guide promotes healthy
food choice as well as its nutritious food content. Health Canada takes great responsibility on
establishing proper labelling on the products. They have mandated obligation to the producers
to have food labelling on products – listing all ingredients, nutritious contents and the like.
The intentions of the food guide and nutrition labelling were good and if it is really
imposed and followed, Canadians would never be in this crisis, if and only if, they are all aware
of it.
To further understand the obesity crisis in Canada, I have created a fishbone diagram to
make it easy to see the causes.
Diagram 1. Cause of Obesity

1.Food Consumption 3.Obesogenic

Patterns 2.Lifestyle Environment

a.Organized sport and a.increase of access

exercise program
of supply
a.Wrong trend b. Active Play
consumption a.Urbanization
c. Activities of
Daily LIving

OBESITY

a.Role of various
a.Increased a.Aboriginal
nutrients
Consuption Population

4.Specific Elements 5.Processed and 6.Social

of the Diet Ready-to-eat Food Determinants of
Health

If look in the Diagram 1, there are 6 causes of Obesity. To wit;

1. Food Consumption Patterns
The cause of supply of highly processed and ready-to-eat prepackaged food
contributed much in consumption pattern of the Canadians. It crates stimulus also to the
Canadians since the products had ubiquitous characteristics.

2. Specific Elements of the Diet

The role of various nutrients also played a great factor in obesity. Since salt,
sugar and fat are the primary nutrients that any person needs, Health Canada should have an
imperative research on the appropriate number of intake of the aforementioned nutrients. The
misconception of these might create a big effect on their body.
Like salt, it gives no calories in the diet yet it brings increase of palatability
of the person eating. Somehow, it is the blame-worthy why people keep on eating regardless of
the food intake already. Also, it provides longer life to the ready-to-eat prepackaged food. Thus,
eating of the food, regardless of its content, consumer would want to buy the product.
3. Processed and Ready-to-Eat Food
The creation of processed and ready-to-eat food devastates the dietary
pattern of the Canadians. The making of soft drinks, chips, prepacked foods and instant
foods gives the consumer the option to eat regardless of the nutrients being taken also.
It also provides the option especially those consumers who are so busy of their work and
have no time preparing their food.

4. Lifestyle
It is being assumed that proper lifestyle would result to healthier body.
Consequently, if a person would have no healthy lifestyle, then, it would parallel to their
body. Thus, Canadians were advised to the following factors that could make an obese
person healthy.
First, doing organized sport and exercise programs could decline the obesity
rate in Canada. Even a simple running in the morning together with your family or playing
your favorite sports together with your friends can help you gain a healthy body.
Second, promoting active play should be brought back to children. Playing
with their friends or neighbors like biking, tug of war, running as if a superhero, could be
a contributing factor of making a children healthy. It is assumed that a child, if being
discouraged to play, has high possibility of obesity.
Last is the activities of daily living. It is true that as the world gets older, the
people becomes lazier. It is true when everything that we do is being associated with
technology. The emergence of this innovative creation will make our life easy yet it
encouraged us not to be healthy.

5. The Obesogenic Environment

In economics, if there is a demand in a certain product, there will be a supply.
Furthermore, if the consumer creates a big quantity of demand, then, it would also create
a vast supply.
It is somehow true that the blame-worth of unhealthy body is the
environment. The existence of so much food stalls and fast food outlets make the
stomach craves.
6. Social Determinants of Health
Having lot of money would crave a person even more.
The aboriginal population in Canada tells us that the country experienced
low socio-economic status. Yet, as time passed by, the increase of the educational status
and other social determinants contributes the obesity rate of the Canadians.
 Diagram 2. The Consequences of Obesity

2.The Consequence
of Socio-Economic
Status on Health

3.Consequen
ces of Dietary
Change

1.Obesity in
Canada by
the numbers

Obesity
4.The
Consequence
of obesity on
Pregnancy

6.The 5.The Consequence

Consequence of of Nutrition
Socio-Economic
Labelling, Nutrient
Status on Health
Content Claims and
Health Claims

The increase of obese Canadians has resulted a lot of consequences. Some were being
identified, like;

1. Obesity in Canada by the Numbers

The comparison of the numbers of obese, if we look back 20-30 years ago and today, is way
too far. The advice on taking healthy diet is imperative in the Canada’s food guide. Also, the
dietary intake should be seen especially on the nutritional contents of the food being served.
Furthermore, it is encouraged to have physical activity as it creates significant factor to the
obesity rate of the person.
Based on the statistical data being presented by the Statistics Canada’s Canadian Health
Measures Survey, 25.4% of adults are obese and 36% are overweight while 13% of children are
obese and 20% are overweight. These are the numbers that would justify that there is an increase
 of obesity rate over the past 3 decades. If not attended, the increase of chronic diseases and death
would be inevitable. It would somehow affect the economic stability of the country since the
sovereign people are being affected.

2. The Consequence of Dietary Change

Since the fact that there is a correlation between obesity and chronic conditions, this are
the reason why people tend to become aware of the way they choose to eat. Yet, as it has been
changed, the product also changes. Like for example, when the doctor says that the patient needs
to decrease his sugar intake, businessmen create also prepackaged ready-to-eat food that is
sugar-free. Yet, it is also true that as food are being innovated, other nutritional contents are being
disregarded. The effect of refined carbohydrates and sugars on body weight and on health
produces body fats, inhibits the loss of fat and it causes metabolic syndrome which is inevitable
when it surges insulin secretion into the blood.
It creates effect of reducing saturated fat. As it has been reduced, it increases consumption
of carbohydrates, primarily as processed foods, which can produce metabolic syndrome.
3. The Consequence of Obesity on Pregnancy
It could not also be denied that the increase rate of obesity rate means an increase of
numbers of obese pregnant women.