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Leader's LetterOctober 2004
“Supersize” Fast Food Fears for MaoriThere’s a movie on at the moment called Supersize Me, in which a guy decides to eat nothing but McDonalds for a month. He was inspired to do this by a lawsuit taken out in the US against the fast food giant by two young obese women, who claimed that their obesity was due to being exposed since early childhood to McDonalds ads, which led them to eat Big Macs to the point of obesity. They lost the case, but in the process raised some issues surrounding food and culture which were examined in the movie. The guy went from being a fit and healthy 30-something to being urged by his doctors to stop the experiment before his health was seriously compromised. He also gained 11 kilos. I relate this story because obesity is rapidly becoming public health enemy number one in the western world, including our little corner of it. And there are no prizes for guessing that Maori feature in the obesity figures out of proportion to their population. People of Pacific Island descent feature even more so. There are a lot of contributing factors to the obesity epidemic, but lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise are obviously paramount. Obesity is linked to many chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers, and also to debilitating conditions and psychological problems. More than 1,000 New Zealanders die every year from obesity-related diseases. Maori invariably feature negatively in health statistics such as this one, as well as other social indicators including educational achievement, income, employment, criminal offending and welfare dependency. Their life expectancy is also significantly lower than that of non-Maori. One of the problems with trying to address one of the issues, such as the Government’s recent obesity management and prevention strategy, is that all of the factors are interrelated. Addressing obesity doesn’t address poverty, which is a major contributing factor. The sad fact is that it’s cheaper to eat fast food than healthy food. Until Maori are not over-represented on the bottom rungs of New Zealand society, the statistics will keep telling the same old story. Education is the key to upward mobility. Without it our citizens are condemned to a narrow range of options and certain failure to reach their potential, with the associated negative impacts, such as obesity. You may recall an article I wrote for this newsletter last August on cannabis, in which I voiced my opposition to any moves to decriminalise the drug. Recent evidence from the Otago Medical School that smoking pot carries similar risks to smoking tobacco adds further weight to this opinion, and is just the latest in a long list of adverse effects of this drug. The fact that Maori are high users of pot underlines the necessity to ensure that the longterm physical, social and psychological effects of its use are well publicised. The road to decriminalisation is a dead end for Maori, and for all New Zealanders. It’s time to get the facts on dope out there before it’s too late, and before the issue gets hi-jacked by interest groups and lobbyists. Pita Paraone MP
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