Researchers are saying obesity is a symptom of poverty rather than an issue of education or culture. Roy Morgan has identified those most prone to weight issues in New Zealand, where they live, how much they earn and how concerned they are about it.
About one in three New Zealanders are above the acceptable weight category. According to the research, working-class suburbs such as Otara, Manurewa and Glen Innes in Auckland, as well as Porirua, north of Wellington, are home to the biggest people.
These people watch a lot of television and being on a low wage or unemployed, cannot afford healthy food or gym memberships. They are most likely to be Maori or Pacific Islander, young, from a single-income household and with small children. Many are unemployed or underemployed, using part-time work to supplement benefits. They are unhappy with their lot but resistant to change. Another group very likely to be battling their weight are Pacific Island or Maori families with adult children still living at home and on very low incomes. They don't feel financially stable and those who do work are likely to be in transport or warehouse work.
Anti-obesity campaigner Robyn Toomath said the research supported her findings that it was poverty, not culture, that led to obesity. "It's the affordability and accessibility of healthy food, it's not just a matter of straight cost. There are a lot of Pacific Island families where people are working two jobs - the low wage economy means people don't have the time [to cook healthily]."
Toomath said poorer suburbs often did not have the infrastructure to support healthy lifestyles. There were often not enough cycleways, it wasn't safe to walk alone in some areas and there were limited playgrounds for children.
The flipside to the poor and fat profile is the slim and wealthy. The research shows those who are young, educated and urban and, more often than not, from Asian descent are 65 per cent more likely than the average New Zealander to be an acceptable weight. They are said to be health-conscious but not overly so, and on their way to big pay packets.
About one in three New Zealanders are above the acceptable weight category. According to the research, working-class suburbs such as Otara, Manurewa and Glen Innes in Auckland, as well as Porirua, north of Wellington, are home to the biggest people.
These people watch a lot of television and being on a low wage or unemployed, cannot afford healthy food or gym memberships. They are most likely to be Maori or Pacific Islander, young, from a single-income household and with small children. Many are unemployed or underemployed, using part-time work to supplement benefits. They are unhappy with their lot but resistant to change. Another group very likely to be battling their weight are Pacific Island or Maori families with adult children still living at home and on very low incomes. They don't feel financially stable and those who do work are likely to be in transport or warehouse work.
Anti-obesity campaigner Robyn Toomath said the research supported her findings that it was poverty, not culture, that led to obesity. "It's the affordability and accessibility of healthy food, it's not just a matter of straight cost. There are a lot of Pacific Island families where people are working two jobs - the low wage economy means people don't have the time [to cook healthily]."
Toomath said poorer suburbs often did not have the infrastructure to support healthy lifestyles. There were often not enough cycleways, it wasn't safe to walk alone in some areas and there were limited playgrounds for children.
The flipside to the poor and fat profile is the slim and wealthy. The research shows those who are young, educated and urban and, more often than not, from Asian descent are 65 per cent more likely than the average New Zealander to be an acceptable weight. They are said to be health-conscious but not overly so, and on their way to big pay packets.
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