Absolutely, positively fit for the future
Wellington is fit for the future, while Auckland's expanding suburbs are likely to lead to expanding waistlines, obesity experts have been told.
The structure of cities commonly aligned with the health of their inhabitants, Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman said.
"Taller, leaner" cities such as Wellington, which were pleasant to walk through and had affordable public transport, were proven to boost residents' daily exercise.
"Compact cities are richer, reduce carbon emissions, [have] more amenities like libraries and picture theatres - they're more socially inclusive," the public health lecturer told Otago University's obesity conference at the Wellington School of Medicine yesterday.
"The evidence is so strong that we need to go up and not out."
A Southern Cross Health survey earlier this year found that Wellington, along with Dunedin, was New Zealand's most active city.
But Wellington still had much to learn from European cities such as Brussels, which had recently invested in creating robust systems of safe cycleways, Prof Howden-Chapman said.
She wanted to see Tory St become cycle-only and for Wellington to adopt a bike-hire scheme similar to London's.
Promotion of walking and cycling was one of several health initiatives analysed by her Otago University colleague, Professor Tony Blakely, and found to be highly effective by worldwide research at maintaining healthy weights.
Easily understood "traffic light" food labelling, taxes on sugary drinks similar to measures in New York, banning fast-food marketing to children, and gastric banding programmes were all found to be effective solutions worth consideration, he said. The conference also noted other recent health initiatives in New York.
The Big Apple has stipulated restaurant chains put calorie counts on their menus; required all public-funded catering to meet health standards; and made cycle storage compulsory in all new buildings.
Diabetes researcher Jim Mann said New Zealand government bodies could not sit back and wait for long-term evidence of the success of such moves. "Failure to act could be disastrous."
Recent figures from the Ministry of Health show 28 per cent of New Zealand adults are obese, up from 19 per cent 16 years ago. The healthcare and lost-productivity costs of being overweight or obese were estimated at a minimum of $720 million a year in 2006.
'THEY ANNOUNCED I WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK'
Fred Lefaoseu is a big man, but he always thought he was a healthy one until a heart attack nearly killed him.
Since then, he has lost 15 kilograms and is dragging workmates, friends and neighbours to the gym to attend a men's health programme and help them live a little longer.
"We get it drilled into us to be healthy, but for me it took a heart attack to push hard to be here longer for my kids and family," he said. "That's the goal, right?"
On January 24, the 43-year-old Wellingtonian was heading home after a session at the Marist St Pat's gym in Kilbirnie.
Within an hour he was sweating profusely and decided to take a cold shower. It didn't help; instead he was getting sharp pains in his arms and chest. "I just thought maybe I'd just over-extended myself a bit."
After four hours, as many painkillers and worsening pain, he drove himself to the emergency department at Wellington Hospital. "They announced I was having a heart attack, a code 2. That was a big shock."
Mr Lefaoseu was lucky and, by the time he was given an angiogram, no clot was found. However, he said the experience had changed his life, renewing his focus on staying around as long as possible.
"It was a real shock, because I assumed I led a reasonably healthy life. I exercise, I'm not a smoker, I only drink socially."
After his close shave, trainers at the gym decided to set up a men's health programme, with exercise interspersed with information about healthy living.
Mr Lefaoseu attends regularly and has shed 15kg since his heart attack, dropping to 109kg.
He has also just finished a 10-week cardiovascular rehabilitation programme through Massey University. He is drinking less, trying to switch to red wine when he does, and aiming to cram in eight servings of vegetables or fruit a day.
He also gets regular medical checkups, whereas he used to visit a doctor only when seriously ill. He hopes all the changes will give him a long and healthy life.
The structure of cities commonly aligned with the health of their inhabitants, Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman said.
"Taller, leaner" cities such as Wellington, which were pleasant to walk through and had affordable public transport, were proven to boost residents' daily exercise.
"Compact cities are richer, reduce carbon emissions, [have] more amenities like libraries and picture theatres - they're more socially inclusive," the public health lecturer told Otago University's obesity conference at the Wellington School of Medicine yesterday.
"The evidence is so strong that we need to go up and not out."
A Southern Cross Health survey earlier this year found that Wellington, along with Dunedin, was New Zealand's most active city.
But Wellington still had much to learn from European cities such as Brussels, which had recently invested in creating robust systems of safe cycleways, Prof Howden-Chapman said.
She wanted to see Tory St become cycle-only and for Wellington to adopt a bike-hire scheme similar to London's.
Promotion of walking and cycling was one of several health initiatives analysed by her Otago University colleague, Professor Tony Blakely, and found to be highly effective by worldwide research at maintaining healthy weights.
Easily understood "traffic light" food labelling, taxes on sugary drinks similar to measures in New York, banning fast-food marketing to children, and gastric banding programmes were all found to be effective solutions worth consideration, he said. The conference also noted other recent health initiatives in New York.
The Big Apple has stipulated restaurant chains put calorie counts on their menus; required all public-funded catering to meet health standards; and made cycle storage compulsory in all new buildings.
Diabetes researcher Jim Mann said New Zealand government bodies could not sit back and wait for long-term evidence of the success of such moves. "Failure to act could be disastrous."
Recent figures from the Ministry of Health show 28 per cent of New Zealand adults are obese, up from 19 per cent 16 years ago. The healthcare and lost-productivity costs of being overweight or obese were estimated at a minimum of $720 million a year in 2006.
'THEY ANNOUNCED I WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK'
Fred Lefaoseu is a big man, but he always thought he was a healthy one until a heart attack nearly killed him.
Since then, he has lost 15 kilograms and is dragging workmates, friends and neighbours to the gym to attend a men's health programme and help them live a little longer.
"We get it drilled into us to be healthy, but for me it took a heart attack to push hard to be here longer for my kids and family," he said. "That's the goal, right?"
On January 24, the 43-year-old Wellingtonian was heading home after a session at the Marist St Pat's gym in Kilbirnie.
Within an hour he was sweating profusely and decided to take a cold shower. It didn't help; instead he was getting sharp pains in his arms and chest. "I just thought maybe I'd just over-extended myself a bit."
After four hours, as many painkillers and worsening pain, he drove himself to the emergency department at Wellington Hospital. "They announced I was having a heart attack, a code 2. That was a big shock."
Mr Lefaoseu was lucky and, by the time he was given an angiogram, no clot was found. However, he said the experience had changed his life, renewing his focus on staying around as long as possible.
"It was a real shock, because I assumed I led a reasonably healthy life. I exercise, I'm not a smoker, I only drink socially."
After his close shave, trainers at the gym decided to set up a men's health programme, with exercise interspersed with information about healthy living.
Mr Lefaoseu attends regularly and has shed 15kg since his heart attack, dropping to 109kg.
He has also just finished a 10-week cardiovascular rehabilitation programme through Massey University. He is drinking less, trying to switch to red wine when he does, and aiming to cram in eight servings of vegetables or fruit a day.
He also gets regular medical checkups, whereas he used to visit a doctor only when seriously ill. He hopes all the changes will give him a long and healthy life.
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