What Obesity Is Costing Australia
Beyond the individual health risks and quality of life associated with obesity, there is a huge societal and economic burden through the direct and indirect costs it generates.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the total annual cost of obesity in 2008 including health system costs, loss of productivity and carers’ costs was estimated at around $58 billion.
It gets worse. The cost to Australia’s collective well being is $120 billion as estimated by the Herald/Age Lateral Economics Index.
Fitness fads fuel eating disorders
TEENAGERS who were overweight as children and bullied in the schoolyard are increasingly showing up at hospital with life-threatening eating disorders.
About 40 per cent of teenagers presenting with eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, at Westmead Hospital, had a heavier-than-normal weight as kids, according to the hospital’s director of adolescent health Professor Simon Clarke.
“We became more aware about three years ago that we were admitting more and more kids who were (previously) obese and overweight who were medically ill,” Prof Clarke said.
What shocked Damon Gameau the most during ‘That Sugar Film’ experiment?
Last week Zoe and Damon Gameau appeared on The Morning Show to discuss ‘That Sugar Film’ documentary two years on and their thoughts on the new sugar tax on the soft drinks industry introduced in the UK.
The first question Larry asked was “When you did the experiment in 2014 what shocked you the most? “
Mr Gameau responded;
“Probably, the level of science and money food that companies spend on understanding how we become addicted and crave food. For example, Nestle has 700 PhD scientists who just look at how the palette works and links to our brain and how much sugar is put in there”.
Session speaker announcement: Ms Kathy Logie, Program Coordinator, PMH Eating Disorders Program on eating disorders – a personal journey
We are pleased to announce Kathy Logie, Program Coordinator, PMH Eating Disorders Program who will speak at the 3rd Annual Australian and New Zealand Eating Disorders and Obesity Conference; Issues of the current day 16 – 17 May 2016.
Ms Logie will speak in the treatments; early intervention and management stream about her own eating disorder experience.
The presentation will provide an overview of a Kathy’s personal experience with an eating disorder in order to convey some of the internal processes that accompany such an experience. Kathy will speak briefly about what it is like to be unwell and caught in a cycle of self-destruction and pain and will share some aspects of the descent into the illness and also the pivotal choices which led to her recovery. Having given a snapshot of the experience Kathy will open for questions and facilitate an honest discussion that allows people to enquire into any area that has piqued their interest.
Anorexia nervosa sufferers to take part in world’s largest study to find genetic links
Australian researchers are recruiting thousands of anorexia nervosa sufferers to try to find the genes behind the disorder.
Anorexia is a clinical eating disorder that affects one in every 100 adolescent girls.
But it is also increasingly being diagnosed in middle-aged women and men.
The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) will work with scientists from the US and Scandinavia, on the world’s largest study of the genetics of anorexia.
Tennis legend: ‘Stop following my anorexic daughter on Instagram’
Years ago, it was his incredible on-court feats that had 42-year-old tennis great Yevgeny Kafelnikov making headlines, but now it’s his teenage daughter, Alesya.
Speaking to Russian website Paparazzi, Kafelnikov expressed serious concern for his 17-year-old daughter’s health, saying that her desire to become a successful model had lead her down a dark path, with social media playing a major part in her dramatic weight loss.
Are fad diets leading to eating disorders?
A growing number of women over 30, 40 and beyond are quietly giving themselves eating disorders and psychologists are worried. In 18 years specialising in “body dissatisfaction” psychology, clinical psychologist Louise Adams has never seen as many women of all ages with food issues; food anxiety is at epidemic proportions, thanks to the ubiquitous influence of Big Diet.
Sadly, healthy women’s dissatisfaction with their bodies is “rampant” and more women are getting later-onset eating disorders after cycling in and out of diets that have destroyed their natural eating.
Session speaker announcement: Mr John Mercer, Chronic Condition Psychologist on ‘Psycho-Dietetic Intervention for Obesity
We are pleased to announce session speaker Mr John Mercer, Chronic Condition Psychologist, Tasmanian Health Service (North) who will speak at the 3rd Annual Eating Disorders and Obesity Conference; Inspiring behavioural change 16-17 May 2016.
As part of a World Class Conference Program, Mr John Mercer will speak in the Implementation of programs and strategies stream on ‘Food For Thought: An Inter-professional Psycho-dietetic Intervention for Obesity’.
Featured Speakers
Dr Evan Atlantis, Senior Research Fellow, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University
Dr Evan Atlantis is Senior Research Fellow at Western Sydney University, and Affiliate Senior Lecturer at The University of Adelaide. He is a research leader with over 12 years’ experience in mental health, chronic physical health conditions, and health promotion research based on large observational studies, randomised controlled trials, and systematic reviews. With over 50 publications in quality peer-reviewed journals (35 as first author including two monographs), he is ranked 36 among Australia’s top experts in depression (Expertscape.com, Jan 2017). Evan has been one of several Chief/Investigator recipients of NHMRC and NSW Government grant funding, totalling more than $4.1 million.
How we use Food as a Means to Satisfy our Psychological Needs
The 2018 National Eating Disorders and Obesity Conference will be held at Twin Towns Services Club over 27-28 September.
Joining us at this year’s conference is Ms Tania E Murdock, Behavioural Scientist specialising in Emotional Health & Wellbeing at Dispute Management Australia who will present on ‘Addressing the Link between Emotional Health & Eating: How we use Food as a Means to Satisfy our Psychological Needs.’