Overweight Kiwis Due To High Food Prices?

New Zealanders' waistbands are continuing to expand. According to the latest research, more than half of New Zealand's population is considered overweight.

 

The Roy Morgan New Zealand State of the Nation Repot 3 shows that 63 percent of New Zealanders are now considered overweight or obese. Only 35 percent have a Body Mass Index of an acceptable weight.

 

Pip Elliott, Client Services Director, Roy Morgan Research, says:

 

“It is interesting to note that (...) the percentage of New Zealanders who are overweight is similar to Australia, where 62 percent of Australians are also either overweight or obese, with 64 percent saying they would like to be able to lose weight."

 

She further explains that gaining weight can be linked to lifestyle changes:

 

“Our rising weight is likely an indication of our changing lifestyles. These findings raise many questions such as, ‘is our increasing weight simply a reflection of our aging population?’ ‘Can it be explained by a more sedentary lifestyle or more fast food?’ ‘Is it a male problem or a female problem?’ Or, ‘is it different by geographical location?’ “

 

Regarding the fact that today we probably know more about nutrition and health than ever before, and the fact that information about healthy nurtition and exercise is widely accessible, the question comes up why we are are not able to keep ourselves fit and healthy.

 

One factor might be, that healthy food is very expensive in New Zealand. Do you think this might be one of the reasons why we keep on gaining weight?