Canada’s obesity rates rapidly rose in the past decade, leading to an obesity epidemic in the country. A study on obesity trends across Canada revealed that the prevalence of obesity in the country increased significantly in the span of 14 years, starting from 22.2% in 2005 to 27.2% in 2018. In particular, the provinces of Quebec and Alberta had the largest relative increases within the timeframe.
As a part of the Quebec demographic, West Island residents must better understand the complex disease to be able to lower the obesity rate in the region. Here’s what you need to know about the possible causes and solutions for Canada’s rising obesity rates:
Understanding Canada’s Rising Obesity Rates
Obesity is rampant in Canada due to the food quality in the country. Josiane Cyr, a perinatal and early childhood nutritionist, emphasizes that an inadequate diet is a factor that can lead to obesity and other related diseases. Unfortunately, food insecurity is widespread in Montreal, Laval, Montérégie, and the Eastern Townships, which increases people’s risk for obesity. People end up resorting to low-quality and processed foods that have little nutritional value, causing them to consume more calories than necessary for their bodies.
However, an unbalanced diet is just one of the many factors that cause obesity. In fact, the World Obesity Federation pointed out that the blame should not be placed on individuals with obesity but on the societal, environmental, and biological factors that cause the condition. As previously mentioned, people could also be residing in locations or households with limited access to high-quality food, so they have an increased risk for obesity compared to people residing in other places. On top of that, biological factors are important to consider because obesity can be caused by genetics and even hormones.
The Importance of Effective Weight Loss Interventions
It can be difficult to address obesity because it is a disease that’s caused by many factors. Thus, people need access to various solutions that can properly target these root causes. An unbalanced diet is one of the many causes of obesity. Unfortunately, plenty of popular weight loss diets in the country don’t have a balanced amount of nutrients, which can put people in further danger. Rather than following these fad diets, people should transform their relationship with food through a weight loss program that’s based on the latest nutritional and behavioral science. These types of plans can promote healthy and lasting weight loss because they teach people how to track the portion sizes of their food and take their food’s complex nutritional factors into account. This strategy teaches people how to consume food in a healthier manner, thus helping them learn how to achieve and sustain their weight loss. Meanwhile, obesity that’s caused by societal, environmental, and biological factors may be difficult to address with diet and exercise alone. In this case, people may need anti-obesity medication that can complement the effects of their lifestyle changes. Though there are many anti-obesity medications, many Canadians are interested in a semaglutide injection called Wegovy because of its high efficacy. A clinical trial showed that people taking weekly injections of Wegovy were able to lose ten to fifteen percent of their body weight in 68 weeks, making it a promising solution to obesity. These injections improve insulin resistance and increase the burning of fat and calories, which helps speed up the weight loss results of people with obesity. Canada's obesity rate will continue to grow unless people have proper access to effective weight loss interventions. These interventions are necessary so that the epidemic can reduce its strain on the country's public health system and people's individual lives.
