Staggering Statistics on Obesity

A deadly trend that has been on the rise for the last thirty years, obesity is associated with diabetes, heart disease and cancer.  James McIntosh, from Concordia University (Canada), analyzed the impact of obesity on the number of doctor visits nationwide in Canada.  With obesity affecting almost one in four Canadians, his research suggests that obese individuals visit the doctor more frequently than regular smokers who are at a healthy weight.  Employing a model created from data that included information from over 60,000 Canadians enrolled in the 2010 Community Health Survey, he found that if obesity were not a factor, doctor visits would decrease by 10%.