Examining the health consequences of obesity over time

Our health is the most important thing when it comes to our bodies, and what “healthy” looks like can vary for each person. While discussions about weight can be a sensitive subject, it is important to examine how our weight may be affecting our current and future health outcomes.   

Over the past four decades, the prevalence of Canadians who have obesity has increased. Health Canada defines obesity as a progressive chronic disease that is characterized by abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. 

Obesity is a strong predictor of health complications including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, liver and kidney diseases, and cancer. The risk of disease and mortality increases as the number of years a person is living with obesity increases. 

Annual health estimates from 2022 indicated that 30% of Canadian adults had obesity. This was over three times higher than the 9% rate registered in 1981. 

While the prevalence of obesity in 2022 was the same for women and men (each at 30%), there was a variation across age groups. The lowest rate among adults was noted in Canadians aged 18 to 34 (25%), while obesity peaked at 34% for those aged 50 to 64 and declined to 29% among those aged 65 to 79.

A recent report used self-reported weight history and health data collected from 2007 to 2011 via the Canadian Health Measures Survey to examine whether having obesity over a long period or many times during adulthood increases the odds of having poor health outcomes.

Results indicated that there was a higher proportion of respondents with negative health outcomes (excluding mental health) if they had a history of obesity, regardless of whether or not they were obese at the time of the survey. 

For example, the percentage of respondents with an obesity-related chronic condition was lower among those who never had obesity (50.6%) compared with those who did not have obesity at the time of the survey but did in the past (65.9%) or who had obesity at the time of the survey and in the past (71.1%).

To continue reading about obesity and associations with increased odds of having a range of chronic conditions, check out the full report, "The health consequences of obesity history and weight fluctuations in adulthood."