Obesity Fast Facts
Obesity Worldwide
Percentage of adults who are considered obese (body mass index of 30 or higher):
- #1 Cook Islands – 58.1%
- Nauru – 58.1%
- #6 USA – 32.2%
-
India – 0.5% (skinniest)
(Source: World Health Organization; Data ranges from 1998-2006)
Obesity in Canada
- 23.1% (5.5 million Canadian adults) are obese (Source: 2004 CCHS)
- 36% (8.6 million Canadian adults) are overweight. (Source: 2004 CCHS)
- 8% of Vancouverites are considered obese – the lowest rate in Canada (Source: Statistics Canada 2003)
- One in four Canadian children is overweight or obese.
- Obesity among children is growing at a faster rate than among adults. (Commons committee report, March 27, 2007)
Excess Body Fat and Disease
-
More than 30 known diseases are believed to be directly linked to excess body fat: heart disease; diabetes; inflammation; high cholesterol; high blood pressure; and many types of cancer – gastrointestinal, colon, kidney, prostate and breast cancer, to name a few.
(Source: Brad J. King, nutritional researcher and author of five books)