Pseudonym Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Who ate all the pies? NZ is third fattest nation http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/new ... d=105841631:46PM Monday Jul 13, 2009New Zealand is the third fattest nation in the developed world, a report has found.The obesity rate among adults in New Zealand in 2007 was 26.5 per cent with only the United States at 34.3 per cent and Mexico at 30 per cent higher, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Health Data Report 2009 released this month said.Obesity rates had increased in all 30 OECD countries in recent decades, which may well lead to higher health care costs in the future, it said.Green Party Health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said the report highlighted the "stupidity" of the Government cutting funding for nutrition programmes and scrapping regulations banning junk food in school cafeterias."It's alarming that New Zealand has the third highest obesity rate and what's even more alarming is that the Government is doing nothing about it."They have even axed reducing obesity and improving nutrition targets for District Health Boards."The Government needed to "take its head out of the sand" because preventing illness would save money in the long term, Ms Kedgley said.Health Minister Tony Ryall said the Government took obesity very seriously.The previous government was focused on nutrition but the current Government would take a more balanced approach, he said. It would be announcing a "greater role for physical activity and sports programmes"."New Zealanders are less physically active then they were," Mr Ryall said."The Government wants a greater balance between healthy eating and healthy action."- NZPAIf more emphasis will be placed on physical activity, I approve. I think that's better than trying to enforce stringent nutrition laws. But I also think certain programmes (like Fruit in Schools) should not have been scrapped. I'm also suspicious about this kind of statement from Mr Ryall - it sounds like what you might say if you had no intention of doing anything. Guess we'll see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 how do they work this out ? because if its on bmi then most people on this forum would be considered obese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamfatboy Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 how do they work this out ? because if its on bmi then most people on this forum would be considered obese.Yep- looks like they used BMI...according to this and thisIf you read the fine print, the NZ data is from 2006-7 (I think) and it's only for the OECD nations (mostly Europe, North America, Russia, Japan). So it excludes Africa, South America, and most of Asia.... But if the key stats for NZL show a trend towards greater BMI, whatever you think of BMI as a measure for strength athletes, the fact remains that the average population in this country is getting less healthy. I'm not always a fan of Sue Kedgeley, but here she's right, the government is cutting away the fences at the top of the cliff (healthy food in schools, effective nutrition teaching) without either re-building them or putting more into health care to deal with the consequences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musclenz Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Certainly something not to be proud of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agent86 Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 It is Maoris and Polynesians which put us near the top of the stats. If you remove them we would be way down the scale. They have not included all countries because I think Tonga is the fattest country followed by Samoa.Enough publicity has been put out here about the dangers of obesity but people don't care. As long as on one hand we compain about the problem and then are told to leave fat people alone and let them be happy as they are nothing will change. We have changed the profile of smoking to make it anti-social and dirty but we are not allowed to call people fat in case we upset their frail emotional state. Have a look at Gok's TV program where he shows off fatties and says they look great and to accept as they are instead of suggesting they might try putting less food in their mouths.It's about personal choice and their is very little government can do to stop people eating crap because it is not cost that is determining their eating it is taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1day Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Who ate all the pies? NZ is third fattest nation :? that cant be right! boosting lives in aussie now! :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainharder Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 how do they work this out ? because if its on bmi then most people on this forum would be considered obese.Yep- looks like they used BMI...according to this and thisIf you read the fine print, the NZ data is from 2006-7 (I think) and it's only for the OECD nations (mostly Europe, North America, Russia, Japan). So it excludes Africa, South America, and most of Asia.... But if the key stats for NZL show a trend towards greater BMI, whatever you think of BMI as a measure for strength athletes, the fact remains that the average population in this country is getting less healthy. I'm not always a fan of Sue Kedgeley, but here she's right, the government is cutting away the fences at the top of the cliff (healthy food in schools, effective nutrition teaching) without either re-building them or putting more into health care to deal with the consequences.i dont believe it is the governments responsibility in what our children eat at schoolits us as parents to teach our children and show by example.we all have choices so schools are entitled to have pies as well as fresh fruit and low fat options available to kids to consume.its not what children eat at school which makes them obese what about before and after school.in most cases parents are too lazy to provide lunches and instead give children money to buy food.everyday you see hundreds of kids in dairys and supermarkets before school buying crap food.its easy to blame schools and government but we all have a responsibility to our children.enter any mcdonalds and you will see families munching away on huge trays of crap food.what sort of example does a father set by scoffing down 2 big macs a large chips and an ice cream sundae then expecting that child to eat a apple at school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1day Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 i dont believe it is the governments responsibility in what our children eat at schoolits us as parents to teach our children and show by example.we all have choices so schools are entitled to have pies as well as fresh fruit and low fat options available to kids to consume.its not what children eat at school which makes them obese what about before and after school.in most cases parents are too lazy to provide lunches and instead give children money to buy food.everyday you see hundreds of kids in dairys and supermarkets before school buying crap food.its easy to blame schools and government but we all have a responsibility to our children.enter any mcdonalds and you will see families munching away on huge trays of crap food.what sort of example does a father set by scoffing down 2 big macs a large chips and an ice cream sundae then expecting that child to eat a apple at school.true that, im pritty sure wen my kids get to that age i would like to think they will make the right decesions regarding healthy foods, and i would like to think i have been there biggest mentor in the matter. its amazing having picked up all the healthy foods and explaining to my wife why there good etc , she has turned into a pritty big health nut too now, so weve gone from having pizza, chaoclate biiscuits, icecream ,coke etc -to now having fruit ,vegies, rice crakers, diet coke etc fill out kitchen.nice to know weve probly just added some yrs to our lives by these simple changes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
startinfromscratch Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 nzers just need to harden up.a bber has control - control over what they eat, and control over the state of their body.Is it just me, or is it that something that has struck anyone else? a bber/gymrat will purposley gain or lose weight in a controlled manner - we are just people with a diff lifestyle!if more ppl exercised control over themselves, there wouldnt be a problem, and it would also set the example for future gen. coming through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamfatboy Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Yep - Trainharder and 1day make good points, but they do so from having voluntarily studied nutrition and exercise as part of being serious BB'ers.Unfortunately, I suspect the average Kiwi knows a helluva lot less about nutrition, and succumbs to many pressures - time pressures (it takes too long to cook healthy), money pressures (it costs too much to cook healthy), peer pressures (my kids don't want to eat healthy, they want sugar-loaded cereals and fried fast food like everyone else) - and gives in.Programmes like Gok whateverhisnameis actually aggravate the problem - by confusing health with appearance. By making it acceptable to be unhealthily overweight, they mask the impending problem. I agree with Trainharder that in an ideal world, parents would lead their children, and BB'ers do that, for sure. However, when generations of kiwis don't know how to cook the basics for themselves, and follow Watties' Food in a Minute "can-o-this, bag-o-that' recipes... we are setting ourselves up for unnecessary load on the health system. To that extent, I'd argue that investing in minimum standards in nutrition and exercise is actually cheaper in the long run than re-fitting hospitals with jumbo beds for all the obese patients which will clog the system with their chronic weight-linked health problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 how do they work this out ? because if its on bmi then most people on this forum would be considered obese.Yep- looks like they used BMI...according to this and thisIf you read the fine print, the NZ data is from 2006-7 (I think) and it's only for the OECD nations (mostly Europe, North America, Russia, Japan). So it excludes Africa, South America, and most of Asia.... But if the key stats for NZL show a trend towards greater BMI, whatever you think of BMI as a measure for strength athletes, the fact remains that the average population in this country is getting less healthy. I'm not always a fan of Sue Kedgeley, but here she's right, the government is cutting away the fences at the top of the cliff (healthy food in schools, effective nutrition teaching) without either re-building them or putting more into health care to deal with the consequences.Dont blame the government. If your a adult you have to have a IQ of zero if you cant work out what is healthy and what isnt... :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autechre Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Dont blame the government. If your a adult you have to have a IQ of zero if you cant work out what is healthy and what isnt... :roll:Quite true, but most people don't take the time to educate themselves. They are more likely to rely on the label on the food to tell us whether it's a Good Choice. Usually though, the low fat option is full of sugar, salt & other artificial crap to make the food palatable.As TFB has said, getting a tin of something or something pre-prepared is the quick'n'easy option and usually the worst for us.I don't think regulation is really going to change much. I'd rather see subsidies on wholefoods and more education - e.g free cooking classes that use cheap simple ingredients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 I've often thought that home economics and budgeting etc should be compulsory subjects early on in the edumication cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autechre Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 I've often thought that home economics and budgeting etc should be compulsory subjects early on in the edumication cycle.Yep, money is the other thing NZers are generally terrible at - myself included.How to budget, how & when to invest, how to make your money work for you etc. should be taught at high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainharder Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 i agree with you tfb except for the points about excuseswhen you say time restraints.budget restraints and kids whining and wanting sugar loaded breakfasts i believe these are all excusestime restraints- this is an excuse due to laziness its easy to buy crap and say i couldnt cook something healthy or buy something healthy due to being too busy.we all lead busy lives.its how we prioritise our time that matters.budget restraints-eating healthy is most times cheaper than buying crap food.giving in top whining kids- dont we all love eating tasty food i prefer to eat chocolate and burgers too due to taste but its discipline and when it comes to children treats are okay but theres a limit.if you cant control what they eat then this comes back to why moan about the govt or schools doing it for you.and i dont believe people are that stupid that they dont know healthy foods from good. like you say most people on this site have a good knowledge but we take it to an extreme most other people know in general eating pizza every day or pies everyday is unhealthy.its their choice due to laziness and no discipline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poos_n_wees Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 It is Maoris and Polynesians which put us near the top of the stats. If you remove them we would be way down the scale. They have not included all countries because I think Tonga is the fattest country followed by Samoa.True.. but with the recession, you guys are catching up There was a study done in NZ a few years ago where they compared dietary intakes between Maori and Pacific Islanders in the workforce with various measures of socioeconomic status (from memory.. it was total household income, level of education and where they stood on the socioeconomic index.)Those with higher incomes/education tended to make healthier nutrient choices when shopping, everyone else generally picked what was cheaper = fatty/unhealthy. 'Cos we're overrepresented in lower socioeconomic areas.. it makes sense that we're the fattest :? I don't mean to sound all about it, its just that there are other underlying causes that lead to us Polys' winning the fatness competitions lol. Plus, we need to get rid of this annoying notion in the islands that being overweight = healthy :doh: I don't think regulation is really going to change much. I'd rather see subsidies on wholefoods and more education - e.g free cooking classes that use cheap simple ingredients.:ditto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 It is Maoris and Polynesians which put us near the top of the stats. If you remove them we would be way down the scale. They have not included all countries because I think Tonga is the fattest country followed by Samoa.True.. but with the recession, you guys are catching up There was a study done in NZ a few years ago where they compared dietary intakes between Maori and Pacific Islanders in the workforce with various measures of socioeconomic status (from memory.. it was total household income, level of education and where they stood on the socioeconomic index.)Those with higher incomes/education tended to make healthier nutrient choices when shopping, everyone else generally picked what was cheaper = fatty/unhealthy. 'Cos we're overrepresented in lower socioeconomic areas.. it makes sense that we're the fattest :? I don't mean to sound all about it, its just that there are other underlying causes that lead to us Polys' winning the fatness competitions lol. Plus, we need to get rid of this annoying notion in the islands that being overweight = healthy :doh: I don't think regulation is really going to change much. I'd rather see subsidies on wholefoods and more education - e.g free cooking classes that use cheap simple ingredients.:ditto:Oh...ummm I didnt write that...but I do agree with it as well... :-s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grover Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Agree totally with all comments re people being responsible for themselves.Teaching economics is a good idea (but keep it simple) but have to be careful as look at the mess the world is in now!A lot of so called educated people have lost bundles thru pure stupidity and greed.No 1 rule to remember is cash is king, credit is way to easy to get and so hard to pay back!Yeah there are heaps of people out there who are making big $ by "leveraging" but they are the first to feel the squeeze in these times.Nothing more satisfying than getting the monkey (mortgage) off your back! just make sure that once you have paid off the mortgage start investing that money each month into something other than cars/bikes/boats trips,do some of that but still keep putting stuff away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poos_n_wees Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Oh...ummm I didnt write that...but I do agree with it as well... :-s Quote fail :doh: Ta, have edited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurasaur Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 There are currently 1.6 billion overweight adults in the world, according to the World Health Organization. That number is projected to grow by 40% over the next 10 years. The following list reflects the percentage of overweight adults aged 15 and over. These are individuals who have individual body mass indexes, which measures weight relative to height, greater than or equal to 25. Obese is defined as having a BMI greater than or equal to 30.Rank Country %1. Nauru 94.52. Micronesia, Federated States of 91.13. Cook Islands 90.94. Tonga 90.85. Niue 81.76. Samoa 80.47. Palau 78.48. Kuwait 74.29. United States 74.110. Kiribati 73.611. Dominica 71.012. Barbados 69.713. Argentina 69.414. Egypt 69.415. Malta 68.716. Greece 68.517. New Zealand 68.418. United Arab Emirates 68.319. Mexico 68.120. Trinidad and Tobago 67.921. Australia 67.422. Belarus 66.823. Chile 65.324. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 65.225. Seychelles 64.626. Bahrain 64.127. Andorra 63.828. United Kingdom 63.829. Saudi Arabia 63.530. Monaco 62.431. Bolivia 62.232. San Marino 62.133. Guatemala 61.234. Mongolia 61.235. Canada 61.136. Qatar 61.037. Uruguay 60.938. Jordan 60.539. Bahamas 60.440. Iceland 60.441. Nicaragua 60.442. Cuba 60.143. Germany 60.144. Brunei Darussalam 59.845. Slovenia 59.846. Peru 59.647. Vanuatu 59.648. Finland 58.749. Jamaica 57.4Tonga isn't the worst but it is up there. It's incredible that they have around 90% overweight people.quote:It should not come as a shock that the nation with the highest rate of adult diabetes is Nauru, where nearly 31% of the population is struck with the disease, according to the International Diabetes Federation.I think when you read stats like that ^ it becomes apparent that it really is a huge issue, costing loads of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Teaching economics is a good idea (but keep it simple) but have to be careful as look at the mess the world is in now!Home economics as in cooking. Budgeting as in how to make $100 last you until next pay. Basic real world stuff.And I say hit them with it early. When they haven't started wagging school yet. Which is actually pretty early these days :pfft:And before anyone points out this stuff is a parents responsibility, sure it is. But it's not getting done. And tax dollars get spent on cleaning up the mess or band aiding the problem. Circumvent the cycle instead.f*ck it's just my opinion. I know it would have helped me. Love you hindsight you prick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillicat Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 i agree with you tfb except for the points about excuseswhen you say time restraints.budget restraints and kids whining and wanting sugar loaded breakfasts i believe these are all excusestime restraints- this is an excuse due to laziness its easy to buy crap and say i couldnt cook something healthy or buy something healthy due to being too busy.we all lead busy lives.its how we prioritise our time that matters.budget restraints-eating healthy is most times cheaper than buying crap food.giving in top whining kids- dont we all love eating tasty food i prefer to eat chocolate and burgers too due to taste but its discipline and when it comes to children treats are okay but theres a limit.if you cant control what they eat then this comes back to why moan about the govt or schools doing it for you.and i dont believe people are that stupid that they dont know healthy foods from good. like you say most people on this site have a good knowledge but we take it to an extreme most other people know in general eating pizza every day or pies everyday is unhealthy.its their choice due to laziness and no disciplineI'm with you on this.And regarding kids, I'm childfree so can't comment from my own personal experience, but I am watching my sister raise her daughter to be a healthy and non-picky eater, and this has started right from when she first started eating solids. Rather than buying overpriced baby food, she chose to feed my niece more or less exactly the same as she was cooking that night, and simply bunging it in a blender, putting it into portion sized muffin tins, freezing, then taking out for niece's meals. Hey presto, no extra work, barely any extra cost, and you end up with a child who is used to eating what parents eat from day one.Of course niece gets influenced by other kids later on once parties happen and she sees other kids, but a fantastic foundation has been laid from the beginning (of course, that's assuming the food she started with was healthy, but you get my point!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 mental note. no kids. :pfft: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillicat Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Teaching economics is a good idea (but keep it simple) but have to be careful as look at the mess the world is in now!Home economics as in cooking. Budgeting as in how to make $100 last you until next pay. Basic real world stuff.And I say hit them with it early. When they haven't started wagging school yet. Which is actually pretty early these days :pfft:And before anyone points out this stuff is a parents responsibility, sure it is. But it's not getting done. And tax dollars get spent on cleaning up the mess or band aiding the problem. Circumvent the cycle instead.f*ck it's just my opinion. I know it would have helped me. Love you hindsight you prick.Yeah, ideally it would be parent's responsibility, but so many people don't have a clue or just don't want to know, you're right that it can't be assumed that they will teach their kids.You only need to look at the number of ads for those high interest loan shark type organisations about to know that a hell of a lot of people just don't have a clue. My sister's partner is appalling in that regard and he's passed that lack of a clue onto his adult daughter. Although she is adult, he still bails her out of whatever financial strife she finds herself in, thus never teaching her a damn thing about how to budget and what will happen if she doesn't (daddy will stump up with the $$). :roll: He means well, but misses the point I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillicat Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Teaching economics is a good idea (but keep it simple) but have to be careful as look at the mess the world is in now!Home economics as in cooking. Budgeting as in how to make $100 last you until next pay. Basic real world stuff.And I say hit them with it early. When they haven't started wagging school yet. Which is actually pretty early these days :pfft:And before anyone points out this stuff is a parents responsibility, sure it is. But it's not getting done. And tax dollars get spent on cleaning up the mess or band aiding the problem. Circumvent the cycle instead.f*ck it's just my opinion. I know it would have helped me. Love you hindsight you prick.Yeah, ideally it would be parent's responsibility, but so many people don't have a clue or just don't want to know, you're right that it can't be assumed that they will teach their kids.You only need to look at the number of ads for those high interest loan shark type organisations about to know that a hell of a lot of people just don't have a clue. My sister's partner is appalling in that regard and he's passed that lack of a clue onto his adult daughter. Although she is adult, he still bails her out of whatever financial strife she finds herself in, thus never teaching her a damn thing about how to budget and what will happen if she doesn't (daddy will stump up with the $$). :roll: He means well, but misses the point I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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