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Tasmanians, on the whole, are unhealthy.
Among the unhealthiest in the nation, in fact.
Overweight – if not obese – with among the highest smoking rates in the country, and the most sedentary lifestyles.
As Healthy Tasmania creative director Penny Terry told The Examiner earlier this year: “Our state is the oldest, fattest, sickest, poorest, most disabled, least active, least literate, poorest eaters in the country with the lowest life expectancy.”
This is a statement, and a fact, that has attracted ire from the Tasmanian community.
Many Tasmanians have taken Ms Terry’s and similar comments to heart, as personal attacks.
But as the statistics continue to roll in about our unhealthy state, we cannot continue to be offended.
There’s such a thing as constructive criticism.
Tasmania’s health woes are not personal, individual problems.
They are societal ones.
Somewhere along the way, we have opted for fast, convenient food, over the prolific fresh produce that grows in our backyards.
We’ve chosen the elevator over the stairs, the two-minute car ride over the 10-minute walk.
And it’s showing on the scales, and in our rates of chronic diseases.
This week, the Heart Foundation joined the fight against our worsening lifestyles.
Its LiveLighter program is designed to “shock, but not to blame or shame people for their choices”, foundation chief executive Graeme Lynch said.
That is the key message when it comes to shifting our health perspective – not all “fat” people are unhealthy, and not all unhealthy people are “fat”.
We have danced around the correlation between weight and health for so long that it is now almost taboo.
The best way to break a taboo is to talk about it.
So while Tasmania has some of the worst figures in the country, we’re also steps ahead of our interstate counterparts. We have a natural advantage.
We do have the best produce in the country – it’s accessible, and it’s enviable.
We have arguably the most picturesque and varied landscapes, making it a pleasure to incorporate outdoor exercise into our lifestyles.
