Income inequality and the obesity epidemic in Hong Kong
For most of human history, being plump was a sign of affluence and nobility. Modern capitalism and mass-market consumerism have reversed that.
For most of human history, being plump was a sign of affluence and nobility. Modern capitalism and mass-market consumerism have reversed that. Today, being trim and fit is the real sign of affluence. You are far more likely to be overweight if you are poor or middle class. I have a friend who lives on The Peak approaching 60, yet he looks like he is in his early 40s. At 49, I am fatter and look older than him by a decade. Sad!
In Hong Kong, eating well costs serious money. Eating junk is easy. I have Maxim's right next door; fast food rules my diet.
In this context, it's interesting to read a new University of Hong Kong study that finds our children to be in poorer shape and physically weaker and less flexible than their peers on the mainland and around the world.
Some 18 per cent of Hong Kong children are overweight and a further 9 per cent are obese - that's more than one in four.
The average handgrip strength of 15-year-old boys in Hong Kong is 27 per cent weaker than their mainland peers. Their heart and lung fitness is "much worse" than that of boys in Europe, although the differences among girls were less observable.
The flexibility of an average Hong Kong girl, determined in sit-and-reach tests, is far worse than Singaporeans.
The HKU paediatricians have faulted parents and schools that are obsessed with their children's academic performance at the expense of their physical fitness and well-being. That's true.
Another explanation I would venture is that many wealthy or well-off parents have transferred their children from those traditional publicly funded cram schools to elite, private and/or international schools. The latter schools do emphasise physical fitness as well as academic achievement, and they tend to have superb sports facilities. Likewise, the elite and exclusive clubs of which their parents are members boast some of the best sports grounds and equipment money can buy. Yes, we do have fat tycoons but look at the photos of society magazines - a surprising number of our rich and powerful are remarkably fit and slim.
A strong case can be made that our extreme income inequality makes the poor fatter and the rich fitter. The same goes with their children.
