WHO WE ARE: Healthy, wealthy and wise, or none of the above

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Who We Are

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A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald 31/5/2009
When you say to somebody "How are you?" you don't really want the reply to be anything more than "Fine, thanks". Unless you're the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which managed last year to persuade 22,000 Australians to sit still for an hour and confess the most intimate details about their aches and pains. The Bureau has just issued a report on the survey, which offers these more-disturbing-than-reassuring insights into our state of health:

grey%27s.jpg 1. At least we're not a nation of hypochondriacs. In fact, it would be truer to call us a nation in denial: 85 per cent say they are in excellent, very good or good health (up three points since 2001). At the same time, 77 per cent claim to have at least one long term medical problem, and 40 per cent have three or more problems, the most common of which are long or short sightedness (52 per cent); arthritis (15 per cent), hayfever and allergic runny nose (15 per cent), back troubles (14), deafness (10), asthma (10), and hypertension (9).

2. We love our little pills. While only 13 per cent of adults say they have "high or very high psychological distress", 37 per cent say they used medication for "mental wellbeing" in the past 2 weeks. Of these medications, 72 per cent were antidepressants and 27 per cent were sleeping tablets. Australia's favourite drugs are vitamin supplements, followed by the uppers venlafaxine, citalopram and sertraline. We also relieve our mental worries in a liquid way: the proportion of people whose alcohol consumption is classified as high or risky has risen from 11 per cent in 2001 to 13 per cent in 2008.

3. We're kidding ourselves. When the bureau's researchers measured the people in the survey, they found that 68 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women could be classified as overweight or obese. But when people were asked to tell their measurements, only 63 per cent of men and 48 per cent of women gave answers that would suggest they were overweight or obese.

4. We treat our bodies shockingly. Some 54 per cent of men and 44 per cent of women eat one serving or less of fruit a day. As the bureau puts it, 95 per cent of men and 93 per cent of women have "inadequate fruit or vegetable consumption" (less than the five servings of each a day recommended by health authorities). In addition, 34 per cent of men and 36 per cent of women do no exercise of any kind.

5. We treat our kids as badly as we treat ourselves. Among children aged 5 to 17, 38 per cent eat less than one serving of fruit a day, and 37 per cent eat less than one serving of veggies a day; 17 per cent are overweight and 8 per cent are obese; 24 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls had consumed alcohol in the week before the interview, and of those 6 per cent of boys and 7 per cent of girls were drinking at a risky or high level.

Go here to read the complete ABS report, and to Comments to discuss whether this suggests we're a healthy nation.

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

COMMENTS

I cannot believe that around 50% of the population eat next to no fruit in a day.... and a third of the population do no exercise. You only get one body for your whole life, you have to look after it. Besides, most fruit tastes really good.

by Asin on May 31, 2009 at 07:13 AM

by Gerry on May 31, 2009 at 09:10 AM

Outsource happiness I dont agree with but know where youre coming from Gerry - this is exactly what the article is saying, the figure on AD's is probably/actually higher but because of the old aussie adage of "she'll be right", we also have "no point complainin', noone listens anyway" ;). I have an "incurable" spinal disease & can say from first hand experience, there is simply no money in cures. Throw the obesity & diabetes issues in the mix as well - simple edict to food manufacturers - no more than X% of sugar & salt content in ANY product.

by The Axeman on May 31, 2009 at 10:37 AM

From these figures we see that 26% of the people surveyed had taken antidepressants in the previous 2 weeks.This staggering number suggests that it's becoming the norm to outsource happiness.That really is saying something about ourselves and the society we live in.
* by Gerry on May 31, 2009 at 09:10 AM
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I wasn't aware that anti-depressants were freely available over the counter.
So if they are, it might be an indicator of what you're suggesting - but, if they are prescription drugs, mightn't it be as big an indicator of how our medical profession is reaching for the easy chemical fix in emulation of the American solution?
Just a thought...
"Five servings"? What sort of overeating lard bottom would I need to be to achieve such a feat?! If those "five servings" consist only of fruit and veg, what about the other daily intake requirements that health authorities expect us good little conforming humans (like they are - for sure!) to be shovelling like programmed automatons into our gobs eh?
Some of these expectations are so unreal that they could form the plot for modern fairytales!
"We treat our kids as badly as we treat ourselves"?!! What the ****? So; if we pulled on the parental steel capped jackboots we wouldn't be accused of mistreating our kids by compelling them to conform? Treating them as unthinking creatures who might "damage" their bodies if they exercise free will and therefore must be led to do the "right thing/s", is now acceptable? I'd love to see someone try that!!! Damned if kids are told what to eat by "overly domineering" parents and damned if kids are let eat what they want to eat by parents who patently "don't care"... Who'd willingly choose to be a parent when there's now a "Catch 22" that'll justify crucifixion for whatever you decide to do in raising your very own kids?
"Kidding ourselves" about weight and obesity issues? Maybe if the figure that's touted as being the "perfect" BMI wasn't so close to anorexic, we might be.
The folks kidding themselves are the health "professionals". Check out how many of them are pompous, supercilious and just downright ugly, with the personalities of freshly laid cat droppings. They just can't cope with the fact that "ordinary" people are happy and content being who and what they are without needing "professional" guidance to attain such a state.
I find it difficult to trust people who earn their living from poking, prodding and sticking things into my body... especially if I haven't invited them to invade me or my orifi in such as way!
Some stats are just scats when viewed in isolation and out of their true context...

by Steve C on May 31, 2009 at 11:04 AM

Axeman, I have to disagree with you on your comments re food manufacturers. I am reasonably fit and I like the odd sweet treat here and there.

You need to take responsibility for your health and food intake and stop shifting blame to food manufacturers.

by Josh on May 31, 2009 at 12:37 PM

Gerry says we are outsourcing happiness. This is the stupid comment of someone who has no concept of what depression is or its causes.

by Harrie O on May 31, 2009 at 01:24 PM

The ABS made these people take their surveys by threatening continual fines for 'non-compliance'. On that basis, their so-called 'cross-section' is questionable at best. If it were me, I'd be telling them whatever I found personally amusing - not personal facts. I don't believe this data whatsoever as the data gathering process is fundamentally flawed.

by Anna on May 31, 2009 at 01:42 PM

The reference to antidepressants as 'uppers' is flippant and ignorant. As is the idea of Gerry that its somehow 'saying something about ourselves'.

by Penny on May 31, 2009 at 02:47 PM

Steve C, I disagree with everything you said. Especially in regards to children. Children eat whatever tastes good i.e. fat and sugar.

by Al on May 31, 2009 at 08:34 PM

The correct spelling is venlafaxine not venlaxafine. And yes I agree referring to antidepressants as uppers is inappropriate.

by Geoff on May 31, 2009 at 09:20 PM

I'm with Steve C. In fact just the other day I was walking along minding everyone else's business when I fell into my own a**ehole!!
I haven't been able to get my head out yet and have decided that I kind of like it in here.
Why bother even commenting as I can only hear my own resentments echoing around my bowels
hahaha - hahaha- hahaha (faintly repeating)

by inde nial on May 31, 2009 at 11:24 PM

by inde nial on May 31, 2009 at 11:24 PM
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It's a shame there's no ABS figures on Aussies who are up themselves and loaded with resentments.
You'd expect they'd be pretty easy to spot, given how difficult it would be to fill in a census or answer a phone poll.
Maybe in the next round of figures the ABS might be able to put a face on how many there are.

by Steve C on June 02, 2009 at 12:42 PM

One huge issue has been entirely and conveniently overlooked. We're a bunch of secret and some not so secret alcoholics.
Many have commented that Australia is a nation of drunks.

by Lorraine Sntclaire on June 04, 2009 at 09:38 AM

Penny, you're kidding yourself-change your medication.
Someone sagely observed that when you're young and take drugs,you're a criminal, but when you're old and take drugs, you're sick.
I was going to write about condoms, but I think that would go over your head too.
Gerry is spot on the money-the real and PERMANENT cure for depression is not found in a "happy-Pill"(and no Penny, I am not a born again Christian!)
Cheers, Robert.

by robert on June 13, 2009 at 08:55 AM

The Sun-Herald

Who We Are

WHO WE ARE: Healthy, wealthy and wise, or none of the above

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