Obesity in Canada: a descriptive analysis

• Published in: Canadian Medical Association journal (CMAJ) 1997-07, Vol.157 (1), p.S3
• Main Authors: Despres, Jean-Pierre, Macdonald, Sharon M, Reeder, Bruce A, Chen, Yue
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cardiovascular disease; Medicine; Obesity; Polls & surveys; Public health
• ISSN: 0820-3946; 1488-2329

Objective: To describe the distribution of body fat, prevalence of obesity, and knowledge of cardiovascular disease in Canadian adults. Design: Population-based, cross-sectional surveys. Setting: Ten Canadian provinces between 1986 and 1992. Participants: A probability sample of 29 855 men and women aged 18 to 74 years was selected using health insurance registration files in each province. Anthropometry was performed on 19 841 (66%) of these adults. Outcome measures: Body mass index (BMI); waist circumference; ratio of waist to hip circumference; knowledge of causes of heart disease. Results: The overall prevalence of obesity (BMI >/= 27 kg/m"Symbol not transcribed") increased with age and was greater in men (35%) than in women (27%). Abdominal obesity was also higher in men and increased with both age and BMI. Canadians with lower levels of education had a higher prevalence of obesity, which appeared at a young age. Canadians in Atlantic Canada mentioned lack of exercise, poor diet and smoking as causes of heart disease less frequently than those living in central or western Canada. Conclusions: Obesity continues to be common among Canadian adults. Policy and programs to promote healthy body weights must be intensified and directed at specific sociodemographic groups. During the last 20 years, obesity in Canadians has drawn the attention of clinicians, the private sector and government. The recognition of obesity as a health issue by the federal government led to the development of Canadian Guidelines for Healthy Weights,(f.1) the Task Force on the Treatment of Obesity(f.2) and Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating,(f.3) as well as other documents promoting healthy weights and healthy eating.(f.4-7) Complementing these initiatives, national projects such as Participation and Active Living have promoted physical activity to Canadians over the last two decades. The adverse effects of being overweight are being reported with increasing frequency. Diabetes,(f.8) hypertension, cardiovascular disease,(f.9) and some cancers(f.10) are associated with obesity. Various measures of body fat distribution, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and the ratio of waist to hip circumference (WHR) have been developed and related to cardiovascular risk.(f.11-13) Economic costs have also been identified.(f.14) A range of anthropometric data on Canadians were collected in the 1978 Canada Health Survey,(f.15)the 1981 Canada Fitness Survey(f.16) and the 198