In the United Kingdom in particular, we are facing a problem with obesity. The result could very well be the highest death rate of a younger generation since the First World War.
With one in four adults in Britain now classified as obese, it is people from lower socio-economic groups who are less likely to be healthy, both in terms of diet and exercise, than those from higher socio-economic groups. It can be seen that, in the lower levels of the United Kingdom’s civil service, the employees are more likely to be obese, to smoke, to have high blood pressure and be less physically active.
Also, in the United Kingdom, obesity affects only 16 per cent of ‘higher managerial and professional’ women whilst 20 per cent of lower managerial and professional women are obese.
It is interesting to note that, in the UK in the 1980, approximately 40 per cent of the population were overweight and less than 10 per cent were obese; nowadays, two-thirds of adults are overweight and more than a fifth are obese. These statistics are reflected in the increase in risk of the associated conditions of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gall bladder disease and some cancers.
In stark terms, around ten million adults aged 16 years and over (24.5 per cent) of adults in England are obese, up from 14.9 per cent in 1993. Of these people, 80,000 (2.0 per cent) are morbidly obese. More startlingly, approximately 1.4 million children aged 2 – 15 years (16.0 per cent) are obese, a rise from 11.7 per cent in 1995 (all the statistics are from The NHS Information Centre, Health Survey for England 2008, 2009).
The occurrence of obesity in the United Kingdom is far higher than the average for OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries (24.0 per cent as against the average of 16.2 per cent), with only the USA and Mexico reporting higher rates in 2006 (OECD Health Data 2009).
It is the men who are more likely to be obese (Office for National Statistics, Social Trends 38, 2008). It is predicted eight out of ten males likely to have a weight problem by 2020 and with 40 per cent being obese (which means having a Body Mass Index greater than 30), which is linked to other health issues. In a shorter timeframe, it is reckoned that, by 2015, 36 per cent of men are likely to be obese compared with 28 per cent of women. By 2025, only 13 per cent will have a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) compared to approximately one-quarter of women (K McPherson et al, ‘Tackling Obesities: Future Choices – Modelling Future Trends in Obesity and the Impact on Health,’ Department for Innovation Universities and Skills, 2007). It is no coincidence that men are twice as likely to have a heart attack as a woman, and die earlier from heart disease (at 61 years compared to 71 years for a woman). It is noticeable that diabetes among men aged 35 to 54 years (another indication of weight gain) is more than twice as likely as among women, according to statistics produced by Diabetes UK.
Women decide their ideal weight in terms of a lower BMI than men’s perceptions of ideal weight, and men are less concerned with being overweight. A NOP survey found that 42 per cent of men compared with 27 per cent of women reporting that being overweight ‘wouldn’t bother me at all’ (Men’s Health Forum, ‘Hazardous Waist? Tackling the epidemic of excess weight in men,’ 2005).
According to research undertaken by Gallup and Healthways in September 2011, chronic conditions such as obesity (but also including diabetes and cancer) are costing the United Kingdom economy £21.6 billion every year in lost productivity. The study was based on the responses of 8,866 people, of which 3,908 were employed on a full-time basis.
The statistics showed that:
· Workers with normal weight and with no disease burden report less than four unhealthy days per year and less than 1.5 missed days of work per year due to poor health.
· Obese or overweight workers with a burden of three or more diseases report 60 unhealthy days per year and over 18 missed work days per year due to poor health.
In response to the study, Ben Leedle, the President and CEO of Healthways, commented: ‘The implication of the chronic disease burden of the UK’s workforce is at alarming levels. The Gallup-Healthways data is shining new light on the powerful correlation between well-being and productivity. Employers who recognise the importance of improving well-being at the workplace are most likely to gain a competitive advantage.’
The two organisations also revealed the initial results from the Well-Being Index tracking in the United Kingdom in April 2011, showing that 25 per cent of the population of the British Isles is obese and another 31 per cent is overweight. It was also stated that fewer than half of those surveyed exercise on a regular basis.
Dan Witters, a principal at Gallup, informed the Workplace Law Network: ‘Since the initial launch of the Well-Being Index earlier this year, the size of our database has significantly increased, allowing us to conduct rigorous, scientific research of a greater segment of the United Kingdom.
‘We’ve been able to look at some extremely fine cuts of data, which have revealed a critical issue within the working population – the struggle with obesity and chronic disease and its effects on the nation’s economy. The WBI data provides a clearer understanding of the scale of the problem, which will allow business and government leaders to better determine ways to tackle it.’
In another study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, it was found that employees’ bad health was costing businesses in the United Kingdom nearly £3 billion a year and that there could be significant savings if employers were active in helping members of staff to change their lifestyles, which included the reduction in obesity (which, in turn, leads to greater risk of cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses).
In response to this report, Paul McArdle, a dietician who runs a nutrition clinic for BUPA, informed Personnel Today: ‘There are simple things companies can do to encourage employee activity, you could start an after-work running club, or encourage staff to raise money for charity by doing a sponsored 5K walk, or take advantage of the cycle-to-work scheme, the Government’s tax-free bikes initiative, which is available to companies with as few as two employees.
‘Just three in ten employees take a lunch hour, and the impact this is having could well be significant as almost half feel their productivity levels plummet in the afternoon around 3 p.m. and as a result lose almost 40 minutes of their day due to this dip. Instead of taking a break to refuel, workers are using props including chocolates and sweets and caffeinated drinks to get them through the day. Taking an entire hour for lunch can often be difficult, and is often not necessarily the best way to keep productivity levels up. Best practice for employees is to take breaks at regular intervals throughout the day to help keep stay alert and focused.’
There is also an implication for greenhouse gas emissions as people who are overweight and obese eat more food, and food production accounts for 20 per cent of global emission rates.
On the positive side, in the longitudinal study of children in Ireland, released in September 2011, it was shown that children were capable of linking being overweight to eating unhealthily (being able to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy food) and not exercising. Interestingly, those children who were classified as being obese or overweight were no different in their judgement of a healthy body size than those who were not classified as being overweight.
In order to combat the growing weight problem, ‘Start active, stay active: a report on physical activity from the four home countries’ Chief Medical Officers’ (Department of Health, 11 July 2011) recommended that adults build slowly up to 150 hours of activity each week. The report was in response to urgent action being required. Sally Davies, England’s Chief Medical Officer, stated: ‘The latest figures show that almost a quarter of adults are obese and, on current trends, by 2050 it means nine out of ten adults will be overweight or obese.’
The obesity problem has interaction with sleep patterns, where the Kaiser Permanente Centre for Health Research in the United States reported in the ‘International Journal of Obesity’ that ‘sleep time predicted success in the weight loss programme.’ It was in the managing of sleep and stress levels that weight loss became possible, as having too little or too much sleep meant that the battle against obesity was harder. The researchers stated: ‘These results suggest that early evaluation of sleep and stress levels in long-term weight management studies could potentially identify which participants might benefit from additional counselling.’
Dr Neil Stanley from the British Sleep Society stated that he agreed with the findings: ‘We’ve always had the eat less move more mantra. But there is a growing body of evidence that we also need to sleep well.’
In a world where the mantra is to be as busy as we possibly can, there is constant overwork which results in less time and energy for exercise. This baggage is further dragged down by the excess drinking of alcohol and consumption of convenience foods. In the fastest nations on earth, you will also find the fattest with one-third of Americans and one-fifth of Britons being clinically obese. The results are replicated for a national survey in 2002 found that one-third of Japanese men over 30 years-old were overweight.
It is not a new problem for, in the Bible, there are two instances were being obese was a cause of death or was a contributory factor. One was Eglon the king of Moab (Judges 3: 12 – 30) and Eli the high priest (1 Samuel 4: 12 – 22).
We are urged not to give into greed:
· ‘So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.’ (Galatians 5: 16)
· ‘Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:…evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.’ (Colossians 3: 5)
We are told repeatedly that, if we are Christians, we are to look after our bodies as the Holy Spirit is inside us (1 Corinthians 3: 16; 6: 19; 2 Corinthians 6: 16).
It was a prayer of the Apostle Paul’s: ‘May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (my emphasis, 1 Thessalonians 5: 23).
As we are created to live full and fulfilling lives, let us be aware of the consumption of greed which will then deprive us living how God wants us to.
Sources:
‘Does your man need an MOT?’ Slimming World, July 2011
Fair Society, Healthy Lives – The Marmot Review (Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post-2010)
‘Half of children in lone parent families see their fathers less than once a week,’ The Iona Institute, 24 September 2011
In praise of slow, by Carl Honere (Orion Books, 2004)
‘Medical chiefs offer guidance on staying fit and active,’ Occupational Health, 31 July 2011
‘Obesity and chronic conditions costing £20 billion a year,’ Workplace Law Network, 30 September 2011
‘Sleep Patterns affect weight loss,’ BBC News, 29 March 2011
The Spirit Level, by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett (Penguin, March 2009)
‘Unhealthy workers ‘costing employers billions every year’,’ Personnel Today, 25 May 2011
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