Half of the adult Brabanders are overweight. This is evident from the GGD Health Monitor. And that is worrying, according to the three GGDs in our province.
The three GGD’s – GGD West-Brabant, Hart voor Brabant and Brabant-Zuidoost- want to reduce the numbers in the coming years. It is an important task, they feel. While half of all adults in Brabant are overweight, it is worse in the group over 65 years. In that group, three out of five people are overweight.
And that can have major consequences, says the GGD. “Look at the corona crisis: since the beginning of the crisis there are especially many overweight people in the ICU.”
Not enough exercise
One of the major causes lies in a lack of exercise. “Only half of all Brabanders get the amount of exercise that is recommended. That is 2.5 hours of moderate exercise per week.”
GGD wants to investigate the cause. They have asked the residents if their municipality is attractive to exercise in. That doesn’t seem to be the root of the problem. “More than 90% people are satisfied with their living environment.”
Vulnerable groups
The GGD thinks that the vulnerable groups need more focus. They are at a greater risk for poor health. “People with lower education, lower income or a non-Western migration background, for example. They score less well on almost all health themes. The advice is, therefore, to focus more specifically on these groups.”
It’s not all negative for the Brabanders. According to the Health Monitor, alcohol consumption in our province has decreased considerably. “Two in five people over the age of 18 say they don’t drink or drink a maximum of one glass a day. That’s more than in 2016, so good news.”
However, the GGD also points to the pandemic here. “Maybe because of all the measures, the drinking behavior has temporarily changed.”
Source: Omroepbrabant.nl
Translation: Chaitali Sengupta. She also gives online INBURGERING classes.
