In Principio August 2017

HEALTH MATTERS In 2014-15, Australian Government statistics showed that a staggering 63.4% of Australian adults were overweight or obese, up from 56.3% cent in 1995 – an epidemic that costs the national health sector $14.6bn annually. So how can we solve this problem? A tax on sugar? Improved food labelling? Regulated advertising of ‘junk food’? Health promotion expert, Associate Professor Fiona Farringdon, looks at some potential solutions. HAS THERE BEEN ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE RAPID INCREASE IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE AUSTRALIANS OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS? Poor diet and insufficient levels of physical activity, of course, but it’s more complicated than that. Aggressive advertising, sponsorship of sport by the big-name fast-food brands, increasingly easy access to cheap fast food, and confusing labelling have contributed to the normalisation of food consumption patterns contributing to this alarming trend. Social determinants also play a role. Inequality of income impacts overweight and obesity, with adults in the lowest socio economic status (SES) more likely to be overweight (66%) than those in the highest (58%). And, in outer regional and remote Australia, 15% more people are overweight or obese compared to those who live in urban areas. WHAT DO THE STATISTICS TELL US? The 2014-15 study showed that 93% of adults did not eat the recommended five serves of vegetables, and 50% did not eat the recommended two serves of fruit per day (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2015). While discretionary foods contributed 35% of energy intake for adults, and 39% for children and young people aged 2–18 (ABS 2014), it’s not just fast food that contributes to obesity. It is the combination of factors listed above. HOW CAN WE SOLVE THIS PROBLEM? IS A TAX OF SUGARY ITEMS OR IMPROVED FOOD LABELLING MEASURES THAT YOU WOULD SUPPORT? Absolutely! Some of the revenue could be put towards subsiding fresh produce, especially in rural areas. Food labels are confusing and the health star rating can send an inaccurate message. It’s not mandatory for a food company to label its goods with a health star rating, and while the rating is useful when comparing food in the same category (e.g. yoghurt) you cannot apply the same methodology to food across multiple categories (e.g. yoghurt and pasta sauce). WHAT CAN WE DO AS A COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THE NEXT GENERATION DON’T GET CAUGHT UP IN THIS EPIDEMIC? We need to change the commercial nature of Australia’s food industry by: › › restricting where energy-dense food is promoted in supermarkets; currently it’s at eye level and in easy reach of children; › › regulating aggressive advertising of energy- dense food including sponsorship of sport; › › limiting the number of fast food chains that are easily accessible and cheap; › › creating user-friendly, mandatory labelling of processed and fresh food consistent with the recommended daily serves; and › › introducing a sugar tax. The ‘eat less’, ‘exercise more’ message is not working; we need to put policies in place that create a supportive environment for eating healthily – making the healthy choice the easy choice and at times the only choice. A S S O C I AT E P R O F E S S O R F I ON A FA R R I NG D ON I N P R I N C I P I O | 1 9