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About Obesity

Obesity is a chronic complex disease that needs to be addressed 

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In 2022, 30% of Canadian adults had obesity, up from just over 21% in 2003.

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Canada is ranked as the 22nd highest obese country out of 195 countries.

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Around 8.7 million Canadian adults have obesity.

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two heathcare professionals

There are now 67 Canadian doctors who hold a certification in obesity management (ABOM). Up from 41 in 2017.

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A 2010 report estimated that direct costs of overweight and obesity represented $6 billion.

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 In 2019, it was estimated that around 10% of all deaths in Canada could be attributed to obesity.

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There is significant inequality in access to bariatric surgery in Canada.

 

It ranges from one in 96 adults in Quebec with Class II or Class III obesity to one in 1,073 adults in Nova Scotia.

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There are 120 surgeons in 33 centres where bariatric surgery is performed.

 

Nova Scotia has the longest wait time between referral and consultation (106 months) while having the shortest wait time between consultation and surgery (three months).

1. Elflein, J. (2024). Percentage of Canadian adults that are overweight or obese based on BMI from 2015 to 2022.

Retrieved September 3, 2024 from https://www.statista.com/statistics/748339/share-of-canadians-overweight-or-obese-based-on-bmi/

2. World Rankings: Obesity Rates by Country (July 2017). Renew Bariatrics. 2018 [cited 20 June 2018]. Available from: https://renewbariatrics.com/obesity-rank-by-countries/

3. Janssen I. The Public Health Burden of Obesity in Canada. Canadian Journal of Diabetes. 2013;37(2):90-96.

4. Canada Obesity Statistics, Facts 2017 - Renew Bariatrics. Renew Bariatrics. 2018 [cited 20 June 2018]. Available from: https://renewbariatrics.com/canada-obesity-statistics/

5. Obesity Canada-Obésité Canada. Report Card on Access to Obesity Treatment for Adults in Canada 2019. Edmonton, AB: 2019, April [cited 5 August  2020]. Available from: http://obesitycanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/OC-Report-Card-2019-English-Final.pdf

6. Statistics Canada. (2024), An overview of weight and height measurements on World Obesity Day.

Retrieved September 3, 2024 from https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/5742-overview-weight-and-height-measurements-world-obesity-day

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