Introduction
Obesity is a major health concern in both developing and developed countries. The major cause of the disease is poor dietary patterns, especially high-calorie intake that lead to an energy imbalance in the body. It causes serious health problems to individuals such as stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes as well as certain types of cancer. It burdens not only the obese individual but also the entire society in that it strains the healthcare systems within a nation. Obese individuals are vulnerable to discrimination in different social settings. For instance, in 2005, twenty-seven percent of American adults could not join the military due to the disease (Shalikashvili, 2010, p. 19). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one becomes obese when his/her Body Mass Index is 30 or even more. This paper gives the obesity trends in Canada as well as the country’s obesity-related healthcare policy in comparison with the healthcare policy related to the disease in the USA.
Obesity in Canada
The prevalence of obesity in Canada has exhibited an increasing trend in the recent past. Research has shown that the proportion of individuals in Canada who are obese has tripled in the last three decades (Tjepkema, 2006, p. 21). The proportion of obese adults in 1985 was 5.7 %, which rose to 15% by the year 2000. In the subsequent years, there was a continual increment in the proportion reaching 58.8% in 2004. In terms of gender, men recorded a high prevalence of the disease compared to their female counterparts, 65.2 % and 52.4 respectively. This marked a significant increase in the prevalence of obesity among Canadian adults by nearly 12%. Further research has shown that approximately 8% of the people that had normal body weight in 1994/95 had become obese by 2002/03. The prevalence of obesity in Canada has not only increased among adults but also among children. Children who are overweight during their early stages of growth and development tend to become obese in their adulthood. According to Tjepkema (2006), between 1983 and 2001, the prevalence of obesity in children increased by 200-300% (p.23). However, the rates among Canadian children and adults seem to have stabilized in the recent past. Obesity has had a tremendous effect on Canadians, which led to the establishment of healthcare policies to deal with the epidemic.
The populations of Canadians who are victims of obesity present an economic burden to the nation. The healthcare costs that are associated with the disease, either directly or indirectly, are approximately $4 billion, which represents 2.2% of the entire healthcare expenditure of the country (Prince, 2009, p.31). Owing to this, the Canadian healthcare system established a research policy, regulation’s and action policy in an attempt to reduce the prevalence of the disease and its associated losses to society. This policy advocates for health promotion as well as educational programs among Canadians. It has led to the development of several initiatives such as Canada’s food guide, Canada’s Nutrition Labeling Program, Canada’s Physical Activity Guide, and the Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy, among others (Prince, 2009, p.40). The policy seeks to reduce the prevalence of obesity in the nation by aiming to achieve a 20% increase in the population of Canadians who are active with healthy eating habits as well as healthy body weights by 2020. It advocates for the integration of the key public sectors and the healthcare sector, access to affordable recreation facilities as well as the long-term provision of funds towards the initiatives. Additionally, the policy seeks to ensure food security in the nation to prevent the consumption of unhealthy high-calorie foods, which is the major cause of obesity.
Obesity in America
America has recorded the highest rates of obesity in the world. According to Blackburn and Walker (2005), 74.6% of Americans are obese, with obesity being one of the leading causes of death in the nation (p.207). Obesity is one of the diseases that have led to the current crisis in the American healthcare system. The medical expenditures associated with obesity in the nation are approximately $70 billion, which translates to more than a quarter of the American healthcare system’s expenditure. Wolf and Colditz argue that America has suffered a loss of 40 million productive workdays and an additional 63 million days due to the frequent visits that obese individuals make to the doctor(s) (1998, p.100). In an attempt to curb the economic problems associated with obesity, the American healthcare system has developed the ‘CARE’ policy whereby ‘CARE’ stands for Communication, Action, Research, and Evaluation.
The policy aims to increase life expectancy by increasing both the quality and the years of healthy living of Americans. Some of the key issues that the policy seeks to attain are improvement of the nutritional value of foods in major educational institutions; ensuring the availability of physical education facilities not only in schools but also in public recreation centers; ensuring more intensified research on the causes of the disease and bringing the findings to public attention. The policy also advocates for the education of healthcare professionals and students on the prevention, management, and treatment of the disease together with its related conditions such as diabetes and coronary disorders. Moreover, the policy incorporates the need for more research on the prevention and treatment of obesity. This paves the way for new methods of dealing with the epidemic in the nation. It also calls for the promotion of health and nutrition-related curriculums in high schools besides raising awareness of the disease and preventive screening of all individuals in America. The policy addresses the special needs of the elderly obese individuals in the nation in one of its initiatives-Healthy aging initiative: Eating better and moving more.
Comparison of the Canadian and American Policies related to obesity
There are several similarities between the Canadian and the American policies. They advocate for healthy dietary patterns that lead to the implementation of health-related initiatives in the two nations. They also seek to improve the proportion of individuals who engage in physical activities as one of the measures of reducing the negative impacts of the epidemic on the nations’ economies. They acknowledge education as one of the pillars of sensitizing people on the prevention, management as well as treatment of obesity. Both policies support the involvement of food processors and producers in the fight against obesity. They should ensure not only proper labeling of the nutritional aspects of their food products but also seek to have the proper composition of nutrients as far as packaged food products are concerned. This ensures that people consume food with the proper nutritional composition, which is very instrumental in curbing the problem in the two nations.
The two policies differ in some aspects. For instance, the American policy recognizes the special needs of the elderly people in their country, which is not the case with the Canadian policy. The American policy advocates for obesity-related education to healthcare practitioners to equip them with adequate knowledge in dealing with obesity cases but the Canadian policy does not recognize the nations’ role in providing more education to their healthcare professionals. Unlike the Canadian policy, the American policy paves the way for more research on the possible ways of prevention and treatment of obesity, which is essential in eliminating the disease.
Measures that the Canadian government has taken to reduce obesity
The Canadian government has imposed a sales tax on some types of food. These include soft drinks, snack foods as well confectioneries (Leicester & Windmeizer, 2004, p.7). The sales tax increases the prices of these foods, thus discouraging many people from consuming them. This reduces the vulnerability of people to obesity as well as the economic constraints brought about by the disease.
The Canadian government has also introduced a standard rating of several food products. This applies to all foods offered as catering as well as fast foods. The rating seeks to establish safe levels of the food constituents to ensure that they do not contain high-energy elements such as fat and sugar. It, therefore, prevents a large proportion of the Canadian population from excessive calorie intake, reducing their chances of becoming obese.
Conclusion
The prevalence of obesity in Canada and America has exhibited an increasing trend in the last three decades. It has led to intense financial constraints in the nations, especially in their healthcare systems. Both nations have established policies as well as measures to curb the epidemic, with their major concern being the prevention and management of the disease. The policies and measures have played a pivotal role in reducing the rates of obesity in Canada, which seem to have stabilized in recent years.
References
Blackburn, G.L., & Walker, W.A. (2005). Science-based Solutions to Obesity: What are The Roles of Academia , Government, Industry and Healthcare? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 82(1), 207-210.
Leicester, A., & Windmeizer, F. (2004). The ‘fat’ tax : Economic Incentives to Reduce Obesity.5-12. Web.
Prince, S.A. (2009). A Population Health Approach to Obesity in Canada-Putting the Problem Back to Context. Trans-disciplinary Studies in Population Health Series, 1(1), 22-40.
Shalikashvili, J. M. (2010). The New National Security Threat: Obesity. Washington DC: Washington Post. 15-19.
Tjepkema, M. (2006). Adult Obesity. Health Reports, 17(3), 9-27.
Wolf, A. M., & Colditz, G. A. (1998). Current Estimates of the Economic Cost of Obesity in the US. Progress in Obesity Research, 6, 97-106.