Most Canadians are unaware of the dangers of obesity
A staggering number of Canadian patients and physicians aren’t aware of the link between abdominal obesity and increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to a new survey.
By TARINA WHITE, CALGARY SUN
A staggering number of Canadian patients and physicians aren’t aware of the link between abdominal obesity and increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to a new survey.
The second annual Shape of the Nations survey, a global study involving more than 11,000 people in 27 countries, found fewer than 20 per cent of Canadians polled are familiar with the new term “cardiometabolic risk.”
Used to describe a dangerous cluster of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, cardiometabolic risk includes smoking, higher blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
It also includes lesser-known factors, such as abdominal obesity, low levels of good cholesterol and high levels of fat in the blood.
More than 9 out of 10 Canadians do not identify excess stomach fat as a cardiometabolic risk factor, the survey revealed.
Dr. Rick Ward, a family physician in Calgary, said the lack of knowledge among the general public is concerning, but not surprising.
When patients come to him with obesity concerns, it’s largely for cosmetic, not health reasons, he said.
“They’re not thinking of the impact on their heart -- they’re thinking more of the impact on how I, the patient, look,” said Ward.
“The concerning part is ...the relative underimportance that people are putting on abdominal obesity as a unique cardiovascular risk factor.”
The survey, commissioned by pharmaceutical company sanofi-aventis Canada Inc, also found just 35% of Canadian doctors polled recognized abdominal obesity as a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes.
As for low cholesterol and high levels of fat in the blood, only 26 per cent and 29 per cent of physicians were able to identify these as cardiometabolic risk factors, respectively.
Ward said the good news is there is a 20 per cent increase over 2005 in the number of physicians who report they are now measuring waist circumference.
“I think we’re working in the right direction,” he said.
In Canada, 200 members of the general population, 80 at-risk patients, and 100 physicians were polled.
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