The largest survey of Australian secondary school students in 25 years, across 240 schools and 12,000 teenagers between 8 and 11 found that the nation is suffering from a “chronic disease time bomb” due to poor exercise and diet habits.
Chief executive of Cancer Council Australia, Professor Ian Olver has expressed concern over the results of the survey and the potential strain on the Australian health system.
“If ever there was a wake-up call for Australians, this is it,” he said “As obese kids move into adulthood the heightened risk of chronic diseases like cancer means previous gains in life expectancy may be reversed.”
The survey found that 85 percent of students surveyed do not engage in enough physical activity for it to prove beneficial, also 14 percent do not eat enough fruit and vegetables, roughly a third drink four or more carbonated drinks in the average week, 43 percent eat fast food at least once a week.
One in four are either overweight or obese; 19.2 percent of boys have been found to be overweight and 5.4 percent obese while 17.1 percent of girls are overweight and 5.5 percent obese.
These factors will no doubt have a long term negative effect on the population as a whole. “We may see today’s teenagers die at a younger age than their parents’ generation for the first time in history.”
There is a clear trend which indicates an increase in childhood obesity, particularly in those with a lower socio economic background.
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