Australia's Obesity Epidemic (1 Viewer)

[katie_tully]

what does your work with the health department involve?

I'm in community health at the moment. I started off in admin, slowly working my way into health promotion, you know setting up info stalls on whatever topic... skin cancer was my latest one. Got into admin coz it was the quickest way to get into the health system with minimal qualifications
Hopefully in a few months I'll be moving more into lab work at the pathology lab, but we'll see.

 

[inasero]

good one! any preventive health gets points in my books

 

[banco55]

in light of the interesting turn this thread's taken, and to answer the original post, maybe we should do more to educate the public and raise awareness regarding what defines obesity, the causes and effects. chuck in a few stats for good measure, numbers always seem to scare people

The fatties aren't unaware of the problems associated with obesity. You need to hit them where it hurts: the pocketbook.

 

[banco55]

If we must have yet another government funded education program we need to recruit this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SrZZhvVwP0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZuQM7K7ERc&feature=related

 

[Slidey]

This isn't a bash fatty thread, there is already one of those. This is where we're all going to discuss nicely what the best strategy for attacking obesity is.

Um. Well... we could bash fatties?

Ok, but seriously, they need to know being fat isn't normal, it isn't acceptable, and it is something they should feel bad about.

Preferably through an approach that motivates them to lose weight rather than get depressed, eat more, then commit suicide. A lot of them are weak like that.

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

maybe a scare campaign or ten. i know those graphic smoking ads sure made me regret the like, three cigarettes ive ever smoked - maybe if they see the gross proof of obesity's effects splashed across the flat screen tv that glues their asses to the couch they might think hey, i've got to do something before i end up like that guy.

it's hard to think of any motivator when you know that in a lot of cases you are battling laziness at it's most pathetic. how do you get people like that to get around to giving a shit?

 

[MaNiElla]

Ooooh i think we should focus their attention on those fake "fat" blobs in pharmacies. You know, that wobbly, jelly like thingy thats supposed to show you that X amount of fat looks like this. I think it'l give them some sort of idea on how huge that blob would be with their current weight, and with all that fat that they have.

 

[chicky_pie]

stop watching junk food commercials, best way to tackle obesity

 

[katie_tully]

Bumped for relevancy.

Stop fat bashing, it's deriving from the issue! Fat bashing is reserved for Non School, kthx guys

 

[withoutaface]

I think that every 6 months the government should systematically exterminate the top 5% most obese members of the population, until only Stas is left.

 

[katie_tully]

Stas is the polar opposite of obese.

 

[withoutaface]

That was the point.

 

[Slidey]

Bumped for relevancy.

Stop fat bashing, it's deriving from the issue! Fat bashing is reserved for Non School, kthx guys

Well, as Cosmic Doris said, a scare compaign like with smoking is probably quite appropriate.

The worst thing possible would be for society to accept being fat as normal.

 

[katie_tully]

I know that was the point. I was commenting on Stas's lack of obesity.

I wonder if he'd be a poster boy for anti-fat campaigns.

 

[katie_tully]

Well, as Cosmic Doris said, a scare compaign like with smoking is probably quite appropriate.

The worst thing possible would be for society to accept being fat as normal.

How do you scare fat people? By showing them pictures of fat people?

I already suggested showing pictures of atherosclerosis, maybe a gangrene foot from a diabetic patient. I think it's evident though that shock tactics don't work. People ignored the smoking packets by getting pretty covers for them.

Maybe a blocked artery on a Smiths chip packet!

 

[Captain Gh3y]

Without fat people, who would we have to make us feel good about ourselves?

People ignored the smoking packets by getting pretty covers for them.

lolz sometimes people say "I don't want the one with the brain, give me a different picture"

 

[katie_tully]

Without fat people, who would we have to make us feel good about ourselves?

Obese people don't make me feel better about myself man. I feel horrible actually.

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

it's quite a conundrum. what do we do? the happy chappy "omg vegies are so good for you" ads do nothing. showing the more disgusting side effects of obesity doesn't work either. aaah. maybe it could be one of those ads where the person talking is already dead from [disease], like that smoking ad with the lung cancer lady who was already dead when the ad went to air. that made me want to cry.

but that probably wouldn't work, either.

i'm thinking the government should just make it illegal to be fat and put fat people into compulsory gym and diet programs. screw personal freedom. the collective health of the nation is more important

 

[katie_tully]

No, I don't think scare tactics are going to work.

I agree with Doris. I think the answer is in making shitty food less accessible and healthy food more accesible. I think educating kids on how to cook healthy, quick meals is key too. The cycle needs to be broken. If you're brought up in a home where nobody cooks and people just eat take out, then the kid isnt necessarily going to learn skills to enable them to break the cycle.

Does anybody think the impact of insurance costs on local sports or the decline of team sports in some areas has contributed?

 

[withoutaface]

Maybe eventually they'll get so fat that they all die before the reach the age of reproduction, thereby solving the problem.