One in three American adults is obese; in Canada, it's almost one in four. This epidemic of obesity is now starting in childhood, shortening the lives of citizens in both countries.
Obesity is based on BMI calculations using weight and height measurements, and a BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese.
As CBC correspondent Pauline Dakin reported this week, a high school in Canada's eastern province of New Brunswick is hoping to short-circuit the trend early, by issuing medical report cards to its grade 10 students. Now in its second year, the program measures BMI, heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Don Walker, the guidance counsellor who spearheaded the program, is interviewed saying last year, three-quarters of the students had at least one risk factor for heart disease. Some students had four or more risk factors. Heart disease and stroke are both preventable conditions, and remain among the top killers of men and women in North America.
For the full report, including video, see Medical Reports Go to 10th Graders .
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