Blog Marco

In an article from the smh today reports that being rich stops you from getting fat.

There is a correlation between weight and wealth. Residents in Sydney's south-west are among the fattest in the NSW, with more than half the inhabitants of the Campbelltown and Camden area overweight or obese, new figures reveal.

Meanwhile, Sydney's affluent and wealthy eastern suburbs and North Shore have the lowest percentage of overweight and obese residents, with just one in five women above the healthy weight range.

Compiled from interviews with 32,877 people across the state over three years, the figures also draw attention to the disparity between obesity levels in NSW rural and city regions.

Rural and regional areas account for the top four places in NSW with the highest ratio of overweight and obese residents.

The Macarthur region in Sydney, which includes Campbelltown, Camden, Macquarie Fields and Glenfield, comes in fifth, with 55.8 per cent of adults overweight or obese - almost 8 per cent above the state average.

Why are the affluent and wealthy are slim, the poor are obese and fat?

Social researcher Neer Korn, a director of research organisation Heartbeat Trends, said the figures showed the direct correlation between socio-economic status and obesity problems.

"People from a lower socio-economic background eat more junk food and they have less time to care for themselves," Mr Korn said. "If you have a nanny and you're not working, you have all day to go shopping for food to get something nice to cook for dinner which is healthy, and you can afford gym membership."

Mr Korn said Australia's obesity problem was more pronounced in rural areas because fresh food was more expensive and the health message was a lower priority for residents there.

"Try getting fruit and vegies in Wilcannia - it's so expensive there, it's much cheaper just to go to Maccas," he said.

Go the Slimming diets for the West!

News by Marco | Life. | Sydney | Marco's blog | bookmark | reddit | cosmos»