Australian women eat less healthy foods and don’t exercise enough: A study

Namita Nayyar (WF Team)

12 years ago

Australian women eat less healthy foods and don’t exercise enough: A study

– Reported,22 January 2013

Australian women are eating less healthy foods and not exercising enough, according to updates from one of Australia’s longest and largest studies into women’s health. Researchers involved in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health have been keeping track of about 40,000 women from different age groups since 1996.

The latest data shows when it comes to health guidelines, more women are considered overweight or obese, are not exercising the recommended amount and are not eating enough vegetables. Women in the 34 to 39 year old age group had gained the most weight since the last update in 2009, with 45 per cent considered overweight or obese – a five per cent increase.

In this age group, only 44 per cent were doing the recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day on most days of the week and less than one per cent were eating the recommended daily servings of vegetables. Only two per cent of women in the 61 to 66 year old age group and eight per cent in the 86 to 91 age group were eating enough vegetables. But researchers also found more women were undergoing health checks – like cholesterol and blood pressure checks – were smoking less and were adhering to recommended alcohol guidelines.

The study’s co-director and University of Newcastle Professor Julie Byles said changes in womens’ lives – such as having a career, becoming a mother or retiring – could explain why their health outcomes changes over time. “The women in their 60s are actually starting to become more active and a lot of this is due them giving up work and having a lot more time on their hands,” Prof Byles said.

CREDITS:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/

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