Picture above : Nutritionists and dieticians throughout Australia have been criticizing on social media the recent Mc Donald’s  advertising during sports TV for the ” Made for Family ” of Burger , Coke and Chips recommending the #junkfood as not the preferred family meal

” Overweight and obesity, as well as many of the linked chronic diseases, is highly prevalent among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with this also varying by socioeconomic group.

Overweight and obesity is a major public health issue, with nearly 2 in 3 adults and 1 in 4 children in Australia considered overweight or obese (AIHW 2016c).

The Australian Burden of Disease Study (ABDS) 2011 modelled the impact of overweight and obesity and showed it is one of the leading risk factors for ill health and death (AIHW 2016a).”

Download the AIHW report HERE : AIHW Obesity Burden of Disease

 ” Outcomes of the meeting included support the public health objectives to reduce chronic disease related to overweight and obesity.

This will include evaluating the effectiveness of existing initiatives and identify potential new initiatives, such as how the food regulation system can facilitate healthy food choices and positively influence the food environment.”

Australian Ministers, the New Zealand Minister responsible for food safety and the Australian Local Government Association met in Adelaide today and agreed the priority areas for the food regulation system for both countries for 2017 – 2021. They also discussed the latest updates on food labelling of sugar and fats and oils and released the two year progress review report on the implementation of the Health Star Rating system. 

The meeting was chaired by the Australian Government Assistant Minister for Health, Dr David Gillespie.

Download Communique HERE : Final Communique 28 April 2017

• Childhood obesity has been labelled one of the most serious public health issues of the 21^st century.
• Overweight and obese children typically grow into overweight and obese adults, who are susceptible to chronic complaints such as diabetes and cardio vascular disease. These diseases place considerable burdens on national health systems and economies.
• It can be argued therefore that policy which encourages healthy eating habits is desirable.  However, the increasing availability of foods high in fat, sugar and salt (so called junk foods) across the world has made eating healthily a challenge. 
• This challenge, according to some research, is compounded by advertising that adversely influences people’s food preferences and consumption patterns. As a consequence of this research, there has been considerable advocacy which has urged governments to place limitations on the advertising of junk foods, particularly to children. 

 

APH : Marketing obesity? Junk food, advertising and kids

“Obesity is markedly more prevalent amongst people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent compared to all Australians, with 25 per cent of men and 29 per cent of women being obese.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities need information that is culturally appropriate, evidence-based, easily understood, action-oriented and motivating. There is also the need to promote healthy eating to facilitate community ownership and does not undermining the cultural importance of family social events, the role of elders and traditional preferences for some foods. Food supply in Indigenous communities needs to ensure healthy, good quality food options are available at competitive prices.

Primary health care services have a central role in promoting and improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and the sector needs specialised training and resources to implement new initiatives and provide culturally appropriate advice.”

Department of Health Website

OBESITY – AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE

Download AMA Position Statement on Obesity 2016

obesity-2016-ama-position-statement

NACCHO Articles about Obesity

“For Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, “diet is the single most important factor in the chronic disease epidemic facing Aboriginal communities.” The resolution commits governments “to reverse the rising trends in overweight and obesity and reduce the burden of diet-related noncommunicable diseases in all age groups.”

Dr Mark J Lock is an ARC Discovery Indigenous Research Fellow at the School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle. See Croakey article Part 2

“Jamie Oliver on behalf of the Wadeye community, I invite you to visit us and teach us to understand healthy eating and nutritious food. Our community would be pleased take you collecting bush tucker traditional way, and you can teach us new skills.

Being healthy means our kids have a better chance in life, and your visit would help make our community strong for the future and ensure our kids to grow up healthy and deadly.”

Hope to hear from you soon,
From Julie see full letter below

“We need all sides of politics to take these issues seriously, to support effective policies and water down the alcohol and junk food and junk drink industries that currently are undermining our health.

In the Medical Journal of Australia, we argue that we are losing the war against alcohol and weight-related illnesses because our nation lacks a comprehensive approach to prevention.”

By Professor Rob Moodie, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne.He worked  for NACCHO Member , Congress, the Aboriginal Community controlled health service in Central Australia from 1982-1988.

Full article

NACCHO #Worldhealthweek Obesity News: : Is diet the single most important factor in the chronic disease epidemic facing Aboriginal communities.”

Australian Healthcare Reform Alliance (AHCRA) policy proposals are not driven by ideology but have their foundations in research, evidence and broader policy review.

 ” Aboriginal communities should take advice from the fast food industry “

NACCHO’s 2013 #junkfood V Health campaign reached 20 Million + worldwide

Thus, advocacy for reducing sugar intake, support for plain packaging of tobacco and the better funding of primary and preventive care align with the basic principles of the social determinants of health in achieving better health outcomes.

To underpin this work AHCRA draws on research, aggregated data and reports from reputable sources.

A recent study published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) provides insight into the contribution of overweight and obesity to the health burden of chronic disease.

Download the AIHW report HERE : AIHW Obesity Burden of Disease

It highlights the importance of reducing overweight and obesity to prevent the onset and/or reduce the severity of associated diseases in the population.

Health impacts from being overweight or obese are not always immediate, particularly for lifestyle-related diseases, and depend on when exposure occurs and the associated disease.

In this report, only asthma was identified as a linked disease with a direct association in childhood; however, childhood obesity is a risk factor for chronic disease in adulthood and later life.

As well, being overweight and obese in mid-life is associated with increased dementia risk in late life, demonstrating a time lag from exposure to disease development. Other studies also show a reduction in cancer risk in adults who experienced weight loss 10 years prior, also suggesting a time lag.

The result is that prevention and intervention efforts focused on maintaining a healthy weight in children, as well as reducing existing overweight and obesity in all age groups, are likely to result in increased health gains in the future.

This report updates and extends estimates of the burden due to overweight and obesity reported in the Australian Burden of Disease Study 2011 to include people under 25, revised diseases linked to overweight and obesity based on the latest evidence, and estimates by socioeconomic group.

The report includes scenario modelling to assess the potential impact on future health burden if overweight and obesity in the population continues to rise or is reduced. The enhanced analysis in the report shows that 7.0% of the total health burden in Australia in 2011 is due to overweight and obesity, and that this burden increased with increasing level of socioeconomic disadvantage.