The latest global survey released by medical insurer BUPA has found 60 per cent of Australians are overweight or obese. These are, sadly, familiar statistics.
But perhaps more surprisingly is that only about 30 per cent realise they have an expanding waistline - so half of Aussies who are overweight don't realise it.
Melbourne GP Dr Bert Boffa heads BUPA's medical service. He says people aren't concerned about their weight because of the increasing life expectancy in Australia. We're suffering more chronic and disabling health problems rather than the fatal health problems generally associated with obesity, leading to a false sense of security.
Dr Boffa blames the overall trends in poor health on what he calls the "tyranny of normality" - when people are fooled into thinking the things they see are normal when that may not be the case, he sites the increasing obesity rates as an example.
"What's normal today was not normal 50 years ago and people are sort of fooled by what's normal," he said. "And I think that's what's leading to the complacency."
The other notable finding of the survey is that depression is increasingly becoming more commonplace in Australia, with one fifth of respondents saying they had it.
Good health and happiness, it seems, goes hand in hand. And this survey is a wake-up call for all of us, we just can't afford to be complacent about our health, and the health of our children.
We've also got to take responsibility for the way we live our life and think about the impact it may have on our health, and our loved ones. Yes, we may be able to live longer than our grandparents and great-grandparents, but we will be able to say that we enjoyed good health during our lifetime?
If you want to here more about the survey and its results, check out the
Audio: Global survey finds Australian a fat and sad nation in denial (The World Today)
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