Comments on: Australia: the World’s Fattest Nation?

By: Would You Like Some Fat With That?

Would You Like Some Fat With That? — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:49:49 +0000

[...] competition between the United States and Australia, in the fat stakes, isn’t so much fun. It seems both nations are neck and neck, and this is a disturbing development – not for the fat bu…. There is speculation over hospital waiting lists; surgeries will be prioritized based on weight. [...]

By: Melanie

Melanie — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:39:09 +0000

Hi Karen,

Thanks for your comment. That is an interesting point. Do you know if a study needs to be of a certain size before the stats begin to average out?

I personally do like to use BMI in my clinical practise, as I feel it’s very useful when used correctly, and taking into consideration it does have some limitations.

By: Karen

Karen — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:40:50 +0000

Hi Melanie,
Enjoy your site from America where indeed there is a great problem of overweight.

Just a note on BMI. While there certainly are limitations to using BMI as a health measure for individuals — as you note that it doesnt measure body fatness, just weight relative to height. It is a better measure when looking at population changes because the differences in muscle mass tend to average out.

Your suggestions are great… at any weight. Thanks.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:52:04 +0000

Hi Eli,

Yes, I’m not sure what measurements they used, but generally speaking BMI isn’t a very useful tool, since it doesn’t take into consideration a persons muscle mass.

I’ve been to America a few times and have been living in Australia now for 18 months, and I was very surprised by these news headlines, it seemed to me that the US had a much greater problem.

By: Fitness Fun for the Whole Family - Healthy Eating for Busy People - Dietriffic.com

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:50:48 +0000

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By: Eli

Eli — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:03:27 +0000

Well that's a bit of a downer for Australia. We've got a pretty small popular overall, but that's a large percentage of overweight people. But the thing is, I think by the standard 'overweight' looks hardly overweight at all to me .. my opinion anyway. Eli's last blog post..The Dark Knight Grunge Wallpaper