The study of fat
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008It’s official now. Being fat is an area of study, not just for scientists and those hoping to cash in on the next Hoodia or grapefruit diet. Health experts keep telling us obesity is out of control in this country and now the education system is making moves to keep up with it.
The University of Guelph has teamed up with Humber College to offer a four-year degree course in obesity, believed to be the first of its kind in this country. Students will learn how to counsel the obese with courses on nutrition, exercise and anatomy, as well as looking into causes of obesity. It’s too simple to say it’s because some people eat more calories than they work off. There are psychological components and in some cases, diseases that come into play.
My advice to broadcasting students today is to specialize. It’s not like when I was getting into radio and television back in the day, when the earth was still cooling! Now you would do well to have a focus or a specialty, and I suppose it’s the same with health care. We know the population is aging, so working with the elderly would be a smart area of study. We also now know the population is fat so this new course, to start in the fall, makes perfect sense.
Statistics Canada says more than five-and-a-half million adults and a half-million children in this country are considered obese. The need is obviously there and these schools are hoping students will want to fill it.
