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The Canadian Press – ONLINE EDITION

Struggle with obesity has both financial and emotional costs: survey

By: The Canadian Press
Posted: 05/17/2011 11:57 AM | Comments: 0

EDMONTON – A new survey suggests the struggle with obesity can be a significant financial burden for some Canadians.
Results released Tuesday by the Canadian Obesity Network indicate that among those who spent money on weight loss methods over the past year, the average amount spent was around $900 on commercial weight loss programs, $766 on gym memberships, about $600 on prescription diet pills and about $400 on special diets.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents say they have been battling their weight for more than 11 years, and about one-quarter say they’ve lost count of how many times they’ve tried to lose weight.
Almost half of the morbidly obese Canadians who took part say they’ve noticed an impact on relationships with their friends and family, and one in six say they’ve been diagnosed with depression or anxiety.
Dr. Arya Sharma, scientific director of the obesity network, says there’s a misperception that obesity arises out of laziness or poor choices, but the survey results show that patients with severe obesity want to lose weight.
The network’s online survey was conducted earlier this year with Leger Marketing, and involved a sample of 524 severely obese Canadians who are 18 or over. A severely obese person is defined as having a body mass index of 35 or over.
A sample of this size is said to have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
Sixty-seven per cent of respondents said they have not considered weight-loss surgery. Of those, 58 per cent cite the possible health complications and 46 per cent said they felt there were safer ways to lose weight.
Sharma said the survey results highlight the frustration that obese individuals feel as they struggle to lose weight with minimal success.
“The survey makes clear that Canadians are confused about where to go to find credible weight management resources,” he said in a statement.
“Surgery wait times can be very long, the commercial weight loss industry is not regulated, so many of those products and services can be a waste of time and money, and employers are just coming around to the idea that obesity management has to move beyond simply telling people to eat less and move more,” he said in a release.
“What Canadians with excess weight need most is clear guidance on how to find the help they need.”
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Online:
www.obesitynetwork.ca

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