Queensland is fighting – and losing – a “war of the wobble”, according to the state’s medical body. Source: AAP
QUEENSLAND used to be the smart state. Now, it’s the fat state.
THAT’S according to the Australian Medical Association Queensland, which says the state is facing an obesity “state of emergency”.
At the top of the medical lobby’s election wish list are efforts to shrink the state’s expanding waistline. About 2.5 million Queenslanders are overweight and the next state government should step in to help people fight the “war of the wobble”, AMAQ president Shaun Rudd said. The group wants a ban on fast food outlets opening within 1km of new schools, as well as subsidies for fruit and vegetables in high-risk communities. Unhealthy meals at school tuckshops should also be scrapped to prevent the next generation developing poor diet habits. “The school tuckshops are supposed to be healthy places, but the reality is, they (aren’t),” Dr Rudd said on Thursday. “We’ve all seen tuckshop ladies and there’s a reason why they’ve got tuckshop arms.” Apart from being too fat, Queenslanders also drank too much, he said. Nightclubs should not be allowed to serve energy drinks mixed with alcohol after 10pm and sponsorship rules should be tightened around sporting and music events. Improving IT services in hospitals and making it easier for Queenslanders to map out their palliative care plans were also high priorities. Dr Rudd said such reforms would ensure Queensland’s health system did not collapse under the weight of new cases of illnesses such as type 2 diabetes. But he dismissed accusations of doctors playing “nanny state” politics. “It’s all very well to say it’s a choice. But we need to make those choices easier,” Dr Rudd said. So far, Labor has pledged $110 million to employ 400 extra nurses over four years as part of its election health pitch. With 16 days until Queenslanders head to the polls, the Liberal National Party is yet to announce its health policies.