Overweight and obesity in Canada : Surpoids et l'obésité au Canada : une perspective de la santé de la population

The mission of CPHI is twofold: to foster a better understanding of factors that affect the health of individuals and communities, and to contribute to the development of policies that reduce inequities and improve the health and well-being of Canadians. [...] The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the current state of knowledge related to: 1) the nature and extent of the problem of obesity, 2) the impact of obesity as a case for prevention and control, 3) a population health perspective on the determinants of obesity, and 4) the effectiveness of strategies for addressing obesity and its determinants. [...] The author identified the current system of surveillance of obesity and the resulting lack of a national baseline description of the problem based on accurate, accessible, and appropriate data as a major gap. [...] Over the 15-year period, more than 57,000 deaths were attributed to overweight and obesity.31 As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases, the implications in terms of premature death and burden of obesity on the Canadian health system becomes more acute, and a case for developing policy options to enhance prevention strategies becomes more apparent. [...] BMI is a powerful predictor of diabetes risk.34 Globally, the increasing prevalence of diabetes closely follows the increasing prevalence of obesity.46 The same epidemiological trend is noted in the U. S. Using self-reported data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30) for adults in 2000 was 19.8% (a 61% increase since 1991), and the prevalence of