Obesity

• Northwestern Ontario has the second-highest obesity rate of any region in Ontario (25.9%): 33% higher than the provincial average (17.4%). Roughly 47,000 people in Northwestern Ontario would be considered obese.
• Obesity related costs have recently been estimated to be as high as 1/6 of the total costs of healthcare (US study).
• Obesity is strongly linked with cancer, cardiovascular and neurovascular disease, diabetes, orthopaedic morbidities and other chronic diseases. People who are morbidly obese have a much shorter life expectancy than the average person.

Bariatric Surgery

• Bariatric Surgery is by far the most successful treatment for obesity available, with sustained reduction of excess body mass of 16% reported, with resolution of associated comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes (Type 2).
• Bariatric Surgery has been shown to be cost effective in Ontario due to the resolution of downstream costs on the healthcare system by reducing disease associated with obesity.
• Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass is considered the gold standard in bariatric surgery and is funded by OHIP. It works by creating a small “pouch” in place of the normal stomach and bypassing part of the small intestine.
• The effect of the surgery is both malabsorptive (bypasses parts of the gastrointestinal tract to limit the absorption of food), and restrictive (decreases the size of the stomach in order for the patient to feel satiated with a smaller amount of food). When combined with the necessary diet and lifestyle changes, the surgery allows patients to lose weight more quickly and effectively than otherwise possible and keep the weight off long-term.