2007-08-06 10:46:06
Sun Aug 5, 2:04 AM ET
More than two-thirds of Australians living outside major cities are overweight
or obese, and extremely obese corpses are creating a safety hazard at
mortuaries, according to two studies released on Sunday.
Nearly three quarters of men and 64 percent of women were overweight in a study
of people in rural areas. Just 30 percent of those studied recorded a healthy
weight, said research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
"Urgent action is required at the highest level to change unhealthy lifestyle
habits by improving diet, increasing physical activity and making our
environments supportive of these objectives," wrote the lead researcher,
Professor Edward Janus.
The figures were much higher than for the general population, where statistics
show about 3.2 million of Australia's 21 million people are obese.
Meanwhile, pathologists are calling for new "heavy-duty" autopsy facilities to
cope with obese corpses that are difficult to move and dangerously heavy for
standard-size trolleys and lifting hoists.
The bodies presented "major logistical problems" and "significant occupational
health and safety issues," according to a separate study, which found the
number of obese and morbidly obese bodies had doubled in the past 20 years.
Specially designed mortuaries would soon be required if the nation failed to
curb its fat epidemic, providing "larger storage and dissection rooms, and more
robust equipment," said Professor Roger Byard, a pathologist at the University
of Adelaide.
"Failure to provide these might compromise the post-mortem evaluation of
markedly obese individuals, in addition to potentially jeopardizing the health
of mortuary staff."
In the past year, there have also been requests for larger crematorium
furnaces, bigger grave plots as well as super-sized ambulances, wheelchairs and
hospital beds.