Miners digging an early grave

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A booming diet of fast food is causing a worrying trend among many Queensland miners.

A booming diet of fast food is causing a worrying trend among many Queensland miners. Source: Supplied

THE Central Highlands has shown its appetite for fast food hasn’t waned after again claiming the title of the fast food capital of Queensland.

The area includes the resource-heavy towns of Emerald and Blackwater, and topped the list of fast food outlets per capita of 37 of the state’s regional and city areas.

The Central Highlands has one fast food outlet for every 2407 people.

By comparison, Somerset Council was the lowest-scoring area, with one fast food outlet per 11,644 people.

Diabetes Queensland chief executive Michelle Trute said their research showed other mining communities also ranked highly including Rockhampton at No.2, while Gladstone was fifth, Western Downs ninth and Mount Isa eleventh.

Research from Curtin University found almost four-fifths of FIFO workers are overweight or obese.

“We are encouraging employers to play a bigger role in working with the community to ensure healthy options are available offsite and out of work hours,” Ms Trute said.

The 2014 Queensland Chief Health Officer’s report showed 42 cents in every dollar spent on food went to fast food outlets and restaurants.

Ms Trute said the research showed dining out options were becoming increasingly unhealthy and marketed for convenience, and meals at some fast food places accounted for more than half the recommended daily kilojoules.

A study out of Canada suggests certain obesity-related illnesses can shorten life expectancy by up to eight years.

Eat Me Nutrition dietitian Michael Lawler has worked with Origin Energy FIFO employees in Roma and said young cashed-up male FIFO and DIDO workers can struggle to choose healthy foods and eat the right portions.

He said in the past decade, Queenslanders’ consumption of discretionary foods had jumped from 5-10 per cent to about 35-40 per cent as fast foods became mainstream.

“Younger males feeding themselves have much higher chance of choosing takeaway and of eating larger portions if they don’t have someone helping them with portion sizes, like their wife at home,” he said.

Central Highlands Mayor Peter Maguire rejected the title of fast food capital and said he doubted the figures.

“I’d tell them to go back and redo the count,” he said.

“In the last 12 months there’s dozens and dozens of people, including FIFO and DIDO workers who’ve left the region … there certainly haven’t been any extra (fast food) chains opening up.”

Local Government Association of Queensland spokesman Craig Johnstone said councils were not able to stop fast food chains setting up shop in town.

“These figures fail to take into account the makeup of the population in some council areas,” he said.

“Those with large mining and resources industries have a high transient workforce of FIFO and DIDO workers.

“Just like tourists, FIFO and DIDO workers tend to be good markets for fast food chains. They do a lot of market research before they decide where to set up shop.”

Fast food chains Subway, Guzman y Gomez, Miss India and Noodle Box were added for this year’s data.