The Bahamas, like many other high-income countries is experiencing an obesity epidemic, according to the results of the country’s first ever Living Conditions Survey.

The 188-page study indicates that within the adult population, females had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity (37 percent) than did males (24 percent), particularly in the far-flung Family Islands.

In those areas, overweight (35 percent) and obese (49 percent) females comprised 84 percent of the female population, "a grave revelation."

In a recent interview with the Bahama Journal, Manager of the Better Living Health Centre, Dr. Ida Mae Hanna, said the country’s obesity epidemic is driven largely by the simple fact that Bahamians eat too much.

"I think one of the problems is that we do not have balanced diets and a lot of this has to do with a lack of knowledge. You would find that the typical Bahamian diet is peas and rice, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, corn and plantain all in one meal and all of those are starches," she said.

"We need to balance it with vegetables that are of low calories. The problem is made worse because a lot of the fast food chains are selling mega meals, which encourages people to buy and eat more. They think they are getting a money deal in getting more for less, but if they eat the whole thing as one serving, then it actually is an evil in the end."

While she could not say definitively why women have the tendency to be obese more than men, Dr. Hanna suggested that ‘perhaps’ it is due to males being more active.

Slightly more than 2,000 households were randomly selected throughout the country to participate in the survey.

According to the study, the youngest group of males was the healthiest group in terms of weight.

On average, one out of every two men 21-30 years of ages (49.5 percent) was of normal weight.

About 62 percent of men were too heavy for their height, while 69 percent had a body mass index (BMI) – a simple and reliable index for weight for height – of 25 or more.

"These results clearly show that a high proportion of Bahamian adults is at risk for developing one or more co-morbidities of the chronic, non-communicable diseases," the survey determined.

A socio-economic analysis of the country’s health status was one of eight inter-related issues the survey focused on along with demography and migration, poverty, household expenditures, education, employment, access to community services and social programmes and housing.

The survey, which although completed in early 2002, was only released this past Wednesday in the House of Assembly, further pointed out that among all persons, the combination of overweight and obese increased with age.

Obesity was most notable in the age groups 31-50 (about 35 percent), whilst young adults between the ages 21-30 were predominantly the healthiest in terms of weight.

"The wealthiest households had the smallest proportion of obese persons (27 percent)," the report said. "…Overall, the highest prevalence of overweight and obese persons was found in Exuma and Long Island."

"The average Bahamian cannot afford to buy fish, which is the best choice, in spite of the fact that this is one of our industries," Dr. Hanna said.

Gender differences show that those two islands have the highest percentage of obese men (28 percent).

The greatest proportion of obese women was found on other Family Islands. Overall, New Providence and Grand Bahama had the lowest prevalence of obesity amongst island regions.

The story is equally discomforting as it relates to Bahamian children.

Local statisticians found that overall, 14 percent of the total sample of two to 10 year-olds was overweight, indicting the emergence of "chronic over nutrition." The survey also revealed that the proportion of children considered clinically obese was six times more than what was expected.

"The likelihood that these children will become overweight adults has daunting consequences for the long-term public health of the country," the survey pointed out.

According to Dr. Hanna, the chronic over nutrition in children is particularly because children are being reared on junk food.

"Children are allowed to eat any time. When children come home from school they go into the refrigerator and are allowed to drink Kool-aid and all those sugared drinks that put on a whole lot of weight," she said.

"And I think all of these things account for why we have such a big problem with obesity among kids. And we are seeing too that many of these children are starting to show chronic diseases at a very early age like diabetes."

Meantime, six percent of the sample survey of children was underweight.

As the survey sees it, both scenarios underscore the need to identify environmental risk factors – household food insecurity and poor nutritional practices.