The major hospitals and clinics within the Ann Arbor region are seeing, not only a vast issue with obesity, but anorexia nervosa and bulimia as well. Plus, we have a hungar issue due to the unstable economy.
The CDC's Healthy People goal was to lower the obesity rate by 15% and no state met that goal. Actually, according to CDC data, nine states had an obesity rate of 30% or higher compared to 12 years ago when no state had an obesity rate that high.
Obesity is considered a contributing cause of many of the leading causes of death in the U.S., including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain cancers. As a result, the CDC recommends a collaborative effort in the form of community, state, national and individual programs. These programs also need to be evaluated, from time to time, to see if they're effective.
Individual programs generally always encourage:
- Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and less refined sugar foods and high fat foods.
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks
- Be more physically active
- Support breastfeeding
- Promote healthy initiatives at school, work and in the community
- http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/
Regardless of someone's weight, health care providers should always show respect towards different cultures with different belief systems concerning food and weight. Also, children do not grow like a celebrity on the latest magazine cover. Most of those covers are computer, air-brushed anyway and do not reflect the person's actual body. Many of us may recall the 1980's and 90's where we had a problem with Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa. Well, those concerns are seeing a come-back with young men who are trying to keep-up with the magazine covers depicting "ripped" men.
But eating is very "personal and emotional." Are we creating an atmosphere of guilt and shame? And at the same time, are we creating an atmosphere of indifference? One extreme or the other? And what about children? From a medical standpoint, children do not grow lean and mean in a linear fashion. There is often a period during pre-adolescence and adolescence where there is some fat accumulation. Many medical experts feel this is protection for the developing reproductive organs but state that excess fat accumulation can lead to health disorders, such as: Type II Diabetes, which is no longer called Adult-Onset Diabetes.
A good resource is provided by the University of Michigan Hospital:
Hungar is another issue. Medical staff are armed with handy resources available to give to their patients who may have little access to food, such as food banks and the local Department of Health, Love Inc. and local churches.
Clearly, we need to maintain respect for one another and offer positive encouragement. As a society we need to take a look at what messages we're sending through advertising.
Be Well!
More health information: http://www.tinardlifecoach.com
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