Hey, Saskatchewan! We’re number one in Canada … for obesity rates. It’s another inglorious statistic for Saskatchewan which also heads the country in impaired driving and HIV rates.
StatsCan released its community health data at the beginning of August revealing that our province has a whopping 45.9 per cent of residents reporting body mass indexes over 30. There’s also no hiding that Saskatchewan BMIs jumped 30.8 per cent between the ten years from 2005 to 2015. This figure is far above the Canadian average of 26.7 per cent and the next closest provinces of Newfoundland at 38.9 per cent and PEI at 36.7 per cent. B.C., Quebec and Ontario had the lowest rates.
So, what’s going on? How did we get to this size? More importantly, what is this latest obesity statistic telling us about ourselves? Saskatchewan may be gaining a reputation as “fat and lazy”, but this notion is not just mean-spirited but it’s also a bit simplistic when it comes down to the science of fat. Fat is a misunderstand organ and different types of fat perform a variety of important body functions.
Our size is shaped by our lifestyle. Saskatchewan residents aren’t eating any more snacks or meals than residents of other provinces. The problem lies elsewhere. The big picture tells us that the modern Saskatchewan lifestyle is just not conducive to everyday calorie burning. A big factor is that Saskatchewan residents, especially those in farming and trucking, spend hours behind the wheel which is unkind to waistlines. Our lifestyle has made it ironic that our country living now actually contributes to obesity rather than provides a solution.
While our grandparents may have walked to school five miles uphill both ways, students today have to take the bus with schools further apart. Some can spend two or more hours on a bus each day, leaving little time for homework and after-school activities. In urban centres students don’t walk to school either, catching rides or driving.
Pounds are being shed in B.C. because municipal governments make a point of building walking and biking trails. Few of our towns and cities are built for walking. Ontario and Quebec have urban designing that copies the European lifestyle with shops within walking distance of homes. Saskatchewan cities are just not built like this anymore. Downtown areas have dried up in favour of suburban living and big box shopping — all of which require more driving.
Studies have shown that a lot of small movements throughout the day steadily help burn calories. But our lives are very automated. We have riding lawn mowers, remote controls for televisions and many other gadgets to help make life easier. Whereas grandma and grandpa used to get up and cross the room to change the TV channel, a remote keeps their grandchildren on the couch. We have to compensate for the use of technology by taking special time out of our schedules for exercise. Not everyone has time, inclination or opportunity to do this. And sadly, a few laps around the block in the evening just do not equal the same calorie-burning effect as a series of manual activities using all muscle groups throughout the day.
Another misunderstanding surrounding obesity relates to diet. Obesity is not only caused by excess food consumption. Sure, we could eat less, but we can still pack on the pounds even on a “healthy” diet. A July study of the Mediterranean diet, lauded for being one of the best heart healthy diets, found that only those in higher socio-economic brackets benefited. Furthermore, eating healthy isn’t cheap in Saskatchewan. There is a high cost associated with getting fresh foods to the remote parts of the province. A high-quality healthy diet with fish, fresh vegetables and grains is two to three times more expensive than lower quality, less diversified meals. With Saskatchewan residents still earning some of the lowest incomes in Canada, some families just cannot afford to buy these healthy products. Another complicating factor is health conditions that go hand-in-hand with weight gain like Type-2 Diabetes, thyroid conditions, stress, depression and hormonal imbalances. None of these make it easy to lose weight.
So, what can we do about these obesity rates. At a personal level, many are already trying by switching to healthy diets and getting more exercise. But in looking at the bigger picture, communities in Saskatchewan need to borrow a page from other provinces to create health-friendly spaces like walking trails, playgrounds for children and amenities within walking distance. Even minor adjustments help like street lights and installing sidewalks to create walking spaces. But it will take some time before attitudes change in the province toward walking, bikes and cool trucks.
