Hello and welcome to week 4 of my blog journey.
This week we have been given a free reign on what it is we write about, so I thought I would do a quick piece on why I feel my topic is important, not only to me but to everyone, on an individual level and to wider communities. I find the easiest way I learn and retain is if I can physically see something or picture it well so I will give some key statistics that I hope will shed some light on our health situation in New Zealand and abroad.
Firstly, some statistics released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that in 2014, 1.9 billion adults, aged 18 years or older, were overweight and over 600 million more were obese. While a further 41 million kids under the age of 5 were overweight or obese. That is some terrifying statistics when you take the minute to consider that obesity is preventable.
To paint a picture a little closer to home, a New Zealand Ministry of Health survey from 2015/16 revealed that 1 in 3 adults was obese, that’s 32% of our adult population. Add to this the further 35% of adults who are overweight, the 11% of children who are obese and the 21% of children who are overweight but not yet obese and I think we can all see just how serious the issue is within New Zealand. To put a figure on this issue, a report from the Faculty of Medical and Health Services found that overweight and obesity cost between $722 million and $849 million New Zealand Dollars (NZD) in health care and loss of productivity per year.
Now I think we can all see what an ugly picture this is drawing, but it is our reality. Our country is unhealthy, we are making unhealthy decisions through what I believe is a lack of understanding and education when it comes to what we need to do to ensure the quality of life for ourselves and those around us. I don’t know what the answer is. I don’t know how we change our entire food environment to begin to rectify what we have created. But what I do know, and what I truly feel passionate about is the need for change. We need change. It is made plain and clear that our current food environment and our relationships with food are killing us.
Since taking on this topic I have found myself questioning all my diet habits and those of my family, much to their disappointment at times. I really feel that this is an issue that will need to be handled at a community level. By that, I mean starting within your family and then offering insight and help to others. So, I do encourage everyone who reads this to think on the topic and maybe make some decisions regarding our personal relationships with food.
Thanks, Ryan.
2 comments:
Hey Ryan,
Always enjoy reading your blog posts, they are always very thought provoking! This one has influenced me to think more about my dieting habits. I like the way you always outline the hard facts but still relate it in a way that us as an audience find interesting.
Keep it up! Awesome!
Bridget
Hi Ryan
Another great post. Stat heavy and interesting. The more you look into health, the more you realise how unhealthy we are.
The more you learn about a topic, the more you want to talk about it with your friends and family, as you said, much to their annoyance! I'm sure my partner is sick and tired of hearing about vaccines haha.
I agree, we need change. People often say, it's not the government's responsibility to do these things, they can't tell us what to do, which is the topic of assignment two. But, when you look at the stats, it's hard to think we shouldn't do something. If there is something someone can do, then it should be done.
Shaun
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