Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Apr 22/02) - A new study by a professor at York University in Toronto says Canadians are getting fatter.

And fatter and fatter.

According to the research conducted by Peter Katzmarzyk, 13.3 per cent of Canadians -- that's roughly 3.3 million Canucks -- are considered obese. That means that, for many of us, more than 30 per cent of our body weight is fat.

More specifically, Katzmarzyk's figures show that one in six Canadians in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta is fat.

Meanwhile, the folks in British Columbia and Quebec are a wee bit thinner (but not skinny). Katzmarzyk's numbers show 12 per cent of adults in those provinces are wearing bigger pants than they should be.

But the good professor failed to mention Nunavummiut and what's happening to the waistlines of people living in the North. If we assume he considers us to be Canadians, we have to assume we're getting pudgy alongside our Southern neighbours.

Sarah Qaqqaq is quick to admit that is indeed happening -- in her neighbourhood anyway. The community health representative for the hamlet of Qikiqtarjuaq, Qaqqaq said she thinks a change in the way Nunavummiut live is causing people to gain weight.

"Before, Inuit used to be very active," explained Qaqqaq. "There's been a lot of change in our lifestyle. Today there's TV and we don't use dog teams any more."

Traditional country foods are consumed less and high-fat, high-sugar items at the grocery store are overwhelmingly popular.

Qaqqaq said weight gain is also causing diabetes and unhealthy levels of cholesterol to appear and does what she can to combat the health risks through her work as a CHR.

"I try, but it takes time," said Qaqqaq. "It's hard for unilingual people to read labels at the store."

Department of Health nutrition specialist Brenda McIntyre said she hopes the recently released trilingual Nunavut Food Guide will help residents eat better.

Strongly promoting a diet of country foods and exercise, the guide should help combat the growing trend of obesity, she said. "It has the potential for that."