(CBC News) — The number of obese Quebecers has doubled over the last three decades, according to a new study from Quebec’s national public health institute.
More than 40 per cent of adult Quebecers are considered to be obese: 50 per cent of women, and one in three men, the study found.
“The waistline … was monitored in that study, showing that not only are Quebecers getting bigger, but their body shape has changed,” said Jean-Pierre Després, a Université Laval professor and one of the authors of the study.
He says the waistline, rather than body weight, is what people should focus on when it comes to fighting obesity.
“[Quebecers] are becoming more sedentary,” Després said. “They are losing muscle mass; they are gaining abdominal fat.” (…)