About Obesity
Obesity is a chronic complex disease that needs to be addressed
In 2017, 28.2% of Canadian adults had obesity, twice as high as in 1978-79, with a rate of 13.8%.
1 in 4 Canadian adults have obesity,
1 in 10 Canadian children have clinical obesity.
20% of premature deaths that occur in Canadian adults are estimated to be directly attributable to obesity.
Canada is ranked as the 22nd highest obese country out of 195 countries.
Around 7 million Canadian adults have obesity.
There are now 67 Canadian doctors who hold a certification in obesity management (ABOM). Up from 41 in 2017.
A 2010 report estimated that direct costs of overweight and obesity represented $6 billion.
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.
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. Obesity in Canadian adults: it’s about more than just weight - Data Blog - Chronic Disease Infobase | Public Health Agency of Canada. Infobase.phac-aspc.gc.ca. 2018 [cited 19 June 2018]. Available from: https://infobase.phac-aspc.gc.ca/datalab/adult-obesity-blog-en.html#table2
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