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IMPACT OF AUSTRALIA’S OBESITY POLICY ON NURSING AND THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
INTRODUCTION
Obesity is a significant issue faced by many people today; it is an epidemic, sweeping the entire world. It can cause chronic diseases like hypertension, cardiac disorders, diabetes, hormonal issues, liver issues, and can impact the health of an individual adversely. Excessive fat deposition in the body results in obesity. Being obese and overweight can cause many challenges for a person; it affects the individual's mental, physical, economic, and social well-being. It is just a cosmetic concern to many, whereas to others, it can lead to life-threatening diseases. It is seen that at a very early age, people tend to develop habits that affect their health adversely, some of which are sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity, bad dietary habits, and all of these contribute to obesity. people often experience a psychological stress because of obesity or vice-versa, this mental pressure can result in consequences that can affect their family as well. According to The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Australia ranks fifth in the most obese population aged fifteen and over, after the United States, Mexico, New Zealand, and Hungary, and as a result Australians live 2.7 years less, due to overweight (OECD, 2019, The heavy burden of obesity). Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Health Survey 2017-18 states that 12.5 million Australian adults are obese or overweight that is almost two-thirds of the relevant population. 7.6% burden of the total premature death rates in Australia reported are because of overweight and obesity. These data are alarming and indicate that obesity should be considered a national priority. Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) introduced an obesity policy for Australia, with a vision of making this epidemic a national focus and introducing interventions for the same.
PHAA’S OBESITY POLICY
Public Health Association of Australia’s obesity policy encourages the combined efforts of various sectors of the country to control this ever-rising issue. This policy’s motive is not just encouraging people to reduce weight but to achieve overall health improvements. This policy involves all the government and non-government organizations, the policymakers and program managers, food production, healthcare and marketing industries, and funding authorities, to take initiatives for this growing problem. According to this policy, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet are the key determinants of obesity and overweight. Significant focus and investment should be made for these two determinants to achieve better health reforms. Seven cross-cutting themes for factors contributing to causing overweight and obesity have been identified under this policy; these are the physical activity environment, biology, societal influences, food environment, individual physical activity levels, food consumption and individual psychology (Public Health Association of Australia, September 2013: Policy-at-a-glance – Promoting Healthy Weight Policy). And as per this policy, sustained and comprehensive interventions should be formed targeting these factors. Children are kept at priority and it is made sure that children are protected and benefitted the most during the development of healthy weight policies, so that the future generation has reduced number of overweight and obese people among them. This policy aims at providing healthcare benefits to the economically...