I don't have a lot of free time today, we have the federal government's fiscal statement tomorrow night, wages data on Wednesday and labor force data on Thursday, so that's going to be a full week. I have very little to write here today, given that I am using all my time to finish the manuscript for my next book, which must be delivered to the publisher on June 1st. But the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released some interesting data last week that relates to my degrowth theme in a roundabout way. Data comes from—— 2022 National Health Survey – Very enlightening and shows how far people need to go to adopt degrowth behaviors on a personal level. As you know, while I wrote about health issues last week and will do so again today, I don’t plan on making it a regular Monday habit.
related articles
1. Degradation, food loss and food waste – Part 7 (February 20, 2023).
2. Moving towards sustainable food production systems within the degrowth paradigm (February 1, 2024).
3. Obesity epidemic – huge daily costs and insufficient policy response (October 21, 2019).
Australian National Health Survey
ABS tells us:
The 2022 National Health Survey (NHS) is the latest in a series of health surveys in Australia. It aims to collect a wide range of information about Australians' health, including:
– Prevalence of health conditions
– Prevalence of health risk factors (e.g. smoking and vaping, alcohol consumption and physical activity)
– Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.
The data provide a special window into the human condition in Australia.
In this article I will focus on the two aspects that interest me the most.
physical activities
It doesn't take much detective work to discover the source of a health problem.
The data on physical activity are pretty startling.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare discusses assessment guidance – physical activities – Unsurprisingly, they define it as “any physical movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires the expenditure of energy, following the World Health Organization’s definition.
They told us:
Low physical activity is a major risk factor for chronic disease. People who are not physically active are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and dementia. Physical activity improves mental and musculoskeletal health and reduces other risk factors such as overweight and obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
The guidance comes from the federal Department of Health and Aged Care – Physical activity and exercise guidelines for all Australians – and, in part, “outline how much physical activity you should do…”
They are tailored to age and/or condition (eg pregnancy).
They provide a range of scientific research to support these guidelines – Gathering evidence to inform Australia's physical activity and sedentary behavior guidelines.
So, for adults, here are the guidelines:
What exactly does “moderate activity” mean?
According to scientific research, this means:
…The intensity takes some effort but allows for conversation. Examples include brisk walking, gentle swimming, social tennis, etc.
MET is metabolic equivalent, “A MET is defined as energy expenditure at rest, typically equivalent to 3.5 ml of oxygen uptake per kilogram per minute.”
Vigorous exercise can make you breathless or out of breath (depending on health status). Examples include aerobics, jogging, and some competitive sports. Energy expenditure ≥ 6 MET.
You might conclude that people don't need to be physically active at all to meet these guidelines.
This is the conclusion I came to.
So how are Australians doing with these guidelines?
A: Shocking.
Below are the proportions of those who met and did not meet the guidelines by age group.
As a result, 93.2% of 15-17 year olds failed to meet the minimum standards.
I guess they're twiddling their thumbs on their iPhones a lot, and that counts as an activity.
As we age, we become more active, but still not much.
By the way, while I had some idea of the situation, I was actually surprised when I saw the data and saw how bad it was.
It's an indictment of our nation's parents who fail to get their teenage children into the habit.
Ironically, Australia calls itself a “sports nation”, which, judging from these statistics, means we watch sports a lot.
I often go to football matches and the spectators get a lot of energy in the form of alcohol, pies, pastries, crisps and chocolate bars whilst watching the action and I think that's the story here.
Even though men are more active than women at almost every age level, as the chart below shows, they remain largely inert.
It is difficult to compare data from different time periods because the original NHS in 2011-12 classified physical activity in a different way (sedentary, low, moderate, high).
But if we assume that the people who don't meet the 2014 guidelines (the current baseline) fall into the sedentary and underweight groups, then we get this chart, which compares the 2011-12 results to the latest results in 2022. Meet the guidelines.
What is clear is that in the space of a decade, Australia's population has gone from relatively inert to very inert – with a sharp deterioration in physical output.
And the deterioration in men (below) is much more pronounced than in women (below).
as a result of
The worsening physical exertion and overall lack of physical activity in Australia clearly has health-related consequences.
The NHS output provides detailed data on “body mass index, waist circumference, height and weight by age and sex”.
The NHS uses guidance from the World Health Organization: obesity and overweight.
The World Health Organization says that by 2022:
– One in eight people in the world is obese.
– Since 1990, adult obesity has doubled and adolescent obesity has quadrupled.
The World Health Organization states:
Being overweight is a condition of excessive fat deposits.
Obesity is a chronic and complex disease defined by excess fat deposition that impairs health. Obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, affects bone health and reproduction, and increases the risk of certain cancers. Obesity can affect quality of life, such as sleep or activity.
The World Health Organization stated:
Overweight and obesity result from an imbalance in energy intake (diet) and energy expenditure (physical activity).
There are many factors that contribute to this imbalance – the World Health Organization says “obesity is a multifactorial disease” – related to the person's environment, “psychosocial factors and genetic variation”.
Obesity is more likely when there are constraints such as the availability of healthy and sustainable food at local affordable prices and a lack of safe and convenient physical mobility.
I don't think these factors are a major issue for Australian residents.
But I won't be reporting on scientific research here, so I won't provide additional perspective on the distribution of factors that contribute to the problem.
However, whatever the reason, lack of physical activity is bound to be a significant factor.
The first graph shows the proportion of Australians classified as obese by the NHS from 2007-08 to 2022.
This proportion is rising – it was 24.6% in 2007-08 and will increase to 31.7% by 2022.
The total number of overweight and obese people has increased from 61.2% in 2007-08 to 65.8% in 2022.
Looking at the latest data for 2022 by age and gender, the chart below illustrates the situation.
This graph shows the total proportion of obesity by age in 2022 and the combined obese and overweight population.
So nearly 40 per cent of Australian adults are clinically obese, which I think is a shocking figure that should prompt urgent policy action, but in practice that doesn't exist.
The chart below shows the same data separately for men and women as of 2022.
Data shows that men are more obese and overweight than women.
How does Australia compare to the rest of the world?
The Global Obesity Observatory provides comparative data and you can download the adult dataset – Adult ranking (percent obesity by country).
The chart below summarizes the data for men and women, with some rankings broken down by gender.
What does this have to do with growing up?
While most green-oriented comments are about reducing energy used in industry, transportation, etc., it should also discuss the use of energy ingested in the form of food and drink.
Clearly, degrowth strategies require dramatic behavioral shifts in our production and consumption patterns to reduce energy use.
Obesity is caused by our bodies taking in too much energy.
This means people eat too much food, and it also means overproduction in rich countries when production cannot be shared globally.
On an individual level, then, degrowth will require many of us to eat and drink a little less—which not only reduces our control over resources but also makes us healthier.
I will point out that I know that some of these health conditions are hereditary and not arbitrary, which is true for my situation.
But a large part of obesity is caused by will, and this is where the “personal degrowth” strategy can begin.
My efforts to meet the physical activity guidelines
When I crossed the finish line at Inverloch Parkrun on the coast of Victoria recently, you were really struggling to meet the physical activity guidelines.
If I can, I try to do a Saturday morning parkrun wherever I am (last weekend I did the Stockton Parkrun near Newcastle).
I can recommend Parkrun as a great form of exercise – you can run fast, slow, walk and talk – suitable for all ages without too much company taking over your entertainment.
My new book is now available for pre-order
I am in the final stages of completing my new book, co-authored by Warren Mosler.
The book is titled: Modern Monetary Theory: The Excellent Adventures of Bill and Warren.
The content description is:
In this book, William Mitchell and Warren Mosler, original proponents of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), discuss their views on how MMT has evolved over the past 30 years.
In a delightful, entertaining, and informative way, Bill and Warren recall how they came together from very different backgrounds to develop Modern Monetary Theory. They consider the history and personality of the MMT community, including anecdotal discussions of various scholars engaged in MMT and those who have strayed from MMT's core logic.
This is a much needed book that provides readers with a basic understanding of the original logic behind the MMT Money Story, including the role of mandatory taxation, the origins of unemployment, the origins of the price level, and the need for job security As the essence of a progressive society—the essence of Bill and Warren’s brilliant adventure.
The introduction is written by British scholar Phil Armstrong.
You can find out more about this book from the publisher’s page – here.
The book will be published on 15 July 2024, but you can pre-order a copy by emailing: info@lolabooks.eu
The special pre-order price is €14.00 (incl. VAT).
That's enough for today!
(c) Copyright 2024 William Mitchell. all rights reserved.
