Residents of the Richmond-Tweed region have ranked sixth in a ranking of New South Wales regions suffering obesity.
An analysis by the Heath Foundation also found that 70.5 per cent of the people in the region were insufficiently active to remain healthy.
Of 28 regions in NSW, the Riverina performed the worst, with 81.2 per cent of the population insufficiently active for health and 33.2 per cent obese.
Rounding out the top five worst performing regions were Far West and Orana; Sydney Outer West and Blue Mountains; Newcastle and Lake Macquarie; and the Central Coast.
Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs was the best performing region in the state, with just 26.2 per cent of people insufficiently active for health and 13.7 per cent obese.
Heart Foundation NSW Cardiovascular Health Director, Julie Anne Mitchell, said the statistics were both alarming and sobering.
‘Far from the image we often have of ourselves being fit, active and outdoorsy, this data shows that over a quarter of New South Wales residents (26.4 per cent) are obese and 55 per cent are living sedentary lifestyles with little or no physical activity in their day.
‘The truth is that our waist lines are increasing while our physical activity time is decreasing. It’s time we put this trend in reverse,’ Ms Mitchell said.
Physical inactivity and obesity are two major risk factors for heart disease. With heart disease claiming 55,000 lives a year or a death every 12 minutes, the Heart Foundation believes it is time we tackled this single biggest killer of Australians head on.
“Physical inactivity is a leading contributor to the burden of chronic disease in Australia, with an estimated total cost to the health budget of $1.5 billion. We are calling on the Federal Government to implement a fully funded National Physical Activity Action Plan to help communities and local government create environments that encourage regular activity,” Ms Mitchell said.
The Heart Foundation is calling for strategies including easy access to public transport, separated bike and walking paths, healthy workplace policies, healthy design of built environments that encourage more recreational activity and education programs that encourage Australians to unplug and play.
‘Being active for at least 30 minutes a day is enough to reduce your heart disease risk. Look for every day opportunities to move more and sit less and if group activities appeal to you consider joining a Heart Foundation Walking group in your local area. It’s a great way to stay fit,’ Ms Mitchell said.
Heart Week is happening 3-9 May 2015.
Heart Week is a nationwide event that aims to shine a spotlight on the issues contributing to heart disease.
This year the Heart Foundation is calling on all Australians to ‘Move More, Sit Less’ as part of its campaign to increase physical activity rates.
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