Obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and some cancers.
Introduction
It is estimated that 1.1 million adults are obese in New Zealand (that is, they have a BMI or Body Mass Index of 30 or more). Obesity in New Zealand places a considerable strain on the health care system: a study in 2006 estimated that health care costs attributable to overweight and obese persons was $686 million or 4.5% of New Zealand’s total health care expenditure.
Obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and some cancers.
There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) and type 2 (adult-onset diabetes mellitus). Type 2 is more common in the population than type 1 (approximately 90% of diabetes cases worldwide are type 2). Individuals who are obese increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The Ministry of Health estimated (when looking at the mortality burden of nutrition-related risk factors in New Zealand) that, in 1997, 80% of deaths from type 2 diabetes were attributable to a high BMI.
Complications from diabetes include an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, and kidney failure. There were 768 deaths from diabetes in New Zealand in 2010
