Jeremy Irwin: Let's stick to facts on fat 'epidemic'

COMMENT

A Herald-DigiPoll survey of eating habits has revealed just how concerned we are about obesity and our personal weight. But should we panic?

And should we believe the interpretation of these figures by the lobby group Fight the Obesity Epidemic? The poll, in fact, reinforces other significant surveys conducted by New Zealand health authorities.

That did not stop Robyn Toomath, of Fight the Obesity Epidemic, seeking to explain away what must be - for a group seeking to ban takeaway food - the disappointing finding that only 12 per cent of New Zealanders eat takeaway or restaurant foods more than once a week.

She claimed the real figures were probably higher and that young children and teenagers were not surveyed.

But the 12 per cent figure is most unlikely to be much higher. At most, it might rise by the poll's 3.5 per cent margin of error.

If Dr Toomath still cannot accept that the figure is lower than her organisation likes to maintain, she should refer to the Ministry of Health survey "NZ Food/NZ Children" released late last year.

One of its findings was that only 20 per cent of children up to the age of 14 eat burgers as much as once a week. By comparison, they eat bacon, sausages, pies and fish twice as often, and chicken four times more than burgers.

And if people consume a takeaway meal only once a week, might not the other 20 meals or so that they eat each week (not to mention snacks in between) be more of a factor in their overall food intake?

The answer is obvious, and the public understands it only too well, judging by the results of this poll.

So let's put this definition of overweight and obesity into perspective. It is based on body mass index, which is a numeric scale based on a ratio of height to weight.

But the BMI is a crude measure because it does not take into account many critical factors, including muscle mass, bone structure and family history. And it certainly does not allow for a stocky build.

It is a screening device only, and somewhat crude as a result. Yet its crudeness does not prevent it being applied to the entire population, and quoted accordingly.

It is well documented that in 1998 about 25 million Americans became overweight literally overnight - not because of what they ate but because the official definition of overweight was unilaterally changed, downwards.

Voila. We have an epidemic when, on one day, a man 178cm tall weighing 83kg was normal, and the next morning was 4kg overweight.

A man 183cm tall, according to the BMI, is obese if he weighs 120kg. That makes sense. But he would still be obese if he lost 20kg and weighed in at 100kg. He's "normal" at 72kg. And he's also normal at 62kg, which makes less sense.

So is there a problem? Well, yes, there is. And should we all be concerned? Yes, we should. But should we respond according to assertions or the facts? Let's stick to the facts.

Some of the more interesting facts from the Herald-DigiPoll survey were that 78.3 per cent of men and 83.7 per cent of women have no difficulty at all resisting fast food. This implies its consumption is very much a matter of choice, not coercion.

The survey shows that on average only 12 per cent of adults eat out as much as two to three times a week (assuming that means all sorts of meals, including restaurants, lunch bars, fast food and so on). For those people, that still leaves 18 or so meals consumed at home a week. Those meals at home have a greater bearing on their overall food consumption than anything else.

As for the rest, an overwhelming 75 per cent of people do not eat out or order in more than once a week.

And when, on that rare occasion, they do eat out, what do they choose? By a huge margin, fish and chips (34.7 per cent of men and 24.6 per cent of women), followed closely by Asian food (24 per cent and 31.3 per cent). Between them they account for 58.7 per cent of male choices and 55.9 per cent of female choices. And neither is advertised on television. Hamburgers are, and only 6.5 per cent of men and 6.9 per cent of women choose them.

Judging by these findings, the influence of advertising on food choices is utterly exaggerated.

It is no wonder that 77 per cent of New Zealanders do not support action being taken to restrict the advertising or sale of fast food.

Obesity is a health problem that this country can defeat. It is going to take a combined effort involving those charged with safeguarding the health of New Zealanders (the Government and health authorities), businesses that supply what we eat, schools, sports groups and community groups (which play a major role in getting us off our couches and out of the house), and each of us, as parents and individuals.

We make our choices, and they should be wise ones of moderation and balance.

There is real change afoot. The Health Ministry and major business groups are now talking of how they can work together on this issue.

And it is hard to miss the fact that most of the fast-food companies that advertise on television are now exhorting us to try their salads.

* Jeremy Irwin is the executive director of the Association of New Zealand Advertisers.