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The BBC News reported today that obesity rates are on the rise, for both adults and children (read report).
"The Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found adult obesity rates rose in 23 of the 50 states, but fell in none."
"In addition, the percentage of obese and overweight children is at or above 30% in 30 states."
This trend, however, is causing an obesity epidemic which in turn is causing health care costs to rise.
"The report warns widespread obesity is fueling rates of chronic disease, and is responsible for a large, and growing chunk of domestic health-care costs."
It was found that the states with the most obese adults included Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, and Tennessee.
The leanest state...the one and only (not kidding when I write the one and only), yours truly, Colorado.
The report found that "in 1991, no state had an adult obesity rate above 20%, and in 1980 the national average for adult obesity was 15%."
Is the recession the culprit for this change in obesity rates? Can people really not afford nutritious foods that are of a reasonable dollar value?
Or, is it simply laziness? Since dollars are short, is it easier to opt for McDonald's versus actually taking the time to think of what a nutritious, bargain-priced, meal might be for one's family?
Why is Colorado different from the rest of the pack? Have we not been hit as hard from the recession? Is it that we have access to parks almost on every block or in every neighborhood? Cities promote numerous outdoor family activities? The state has more sun than rain? In the winter, people still go outside? Since our farmed fields aren't like the Midwest, we pride and value our home grown local foods even moreso and want to eat the fresh foods but at a pace that allows us to have more for another meal?
Whatever the reason, I think we need to investigate, reorganize, and prioritize both the public health and parks and recreation departments in every state. We need to review the administration, initiatives, and programs and compare them to the Colorado model.
For more info: Contact Amy Kletzien Riker. Also, view the BBC article here to learn more.
Comments
Interesting findings. Why don't you do some research on why obesity is NOT a problem in CO? If you could find out why, then perhaps CDC and others might implement the findings in states such as West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.
I wonder if it is the type of foods people eat as you stated? Living in MI, I am seeing a lot more obese children. Is it the economic conditions we are facing in this state. MI leads the nation with the highest unemployment rate. Are people serving foods with higher fat content.
I do believe if someone had the answer a lot of the health concerns would be eliminated.
Unfortunately, Illinois must be one of the worst! 1 in 5 kids is obese....according to the same research. (I read it in the Chicago Tribune today.)
I think a big part has to do with how we Coloradoans love to be out of doors. We are a recreating state, with numerous year round activities for people of all abilities and ages. Why this is? I'm not sure, but I know I am grateful for it every time I return from a trip out of state.
This topic is of particular interest to me, so I was glad to see that you wrote about this fact. Last week, I saw a couple articles that outline some hypothesized reasons for the increase of obesity, with a focus on the South as 3 of the 4 “Fattest States” are in the south. Living in Georgia, I see evidence of this every day! While it is not hard to pin-point the cause of the dramatic increase in obesity rates, I think it is more difficult to determine exactly why there is such a discrepancy in obesity rates in the south in relation to the rest of the country. I think it is probably a combination of factors and while the ideas discussed in these articles are valid, there is not one single reason that alone can be the cause.
Is it because the south is poor? It sure doesn’t help matters. Poor neighborhoods also have fewer grocery stores, even in the rural South. A 2004 study by the University of South Carolina found that most food-shopping options in rural areas fall into the
convenience-store category because grocery stores are located too far away. BUT, a number of impoverished states — including Montana, Texas and New Mexico — have relatively low levels of obesity.
Is it the food culture? Ehhh… again, it doesn’t help that southerners would eat a deep-fried boot if given the chance, but what New Yorker hasn’t had a 1 pound Rueben or one of those huge slices (or two) of pizza that the delis offer?
Is it the lack of exercise (or opportunity to exercise)? This might be the most contributing single factor there is. Cities on the south are far more spread out than those in the north. Therefore, anywhere that you want to go, you’ll need to drive. Walking just isn’t an option most of the time. Also, I once saw a study that ranked Miami and Atlanta #1 and 2 as least pedestrian-friendly cities. Having lived 10 years in Atlanta, I can vouch for that (limited sidewalks, traffic volume, etc). So even if your destination is within walking distance, your
fear of being run down prevents physical activity. Another problem is that for much of the year, outdoor exercise between 10 am and 8 pm is at best horribly uncomfortable and a health risk at worst. It is hot and humid nearly every day! That severely limits people’s ability to go for a walk, run, bike ride, etc.
The increase in childhood obesity is much easier to figure out. In schools, what ever happened to recess and gym class? When schools lose funding, it is things like physical education that get cut. Also, when I was a kid, we had like, 5 channels. If 4 of them had soap operas on, there was essentially no TV to watch. That meant outside play time. Today, if there is nothing of interest on any of the 500 channels (including about 6 all-cartoon stations), Tivo or On-Demand will have something for you. From early on, these factors condition kids to not exercise, and promote immediate gratification. As anyone who has exercised will tell you, immediate gratification
and exercise definitely DO NOT mix, so kids are conditioned to not like exercise.
Chris--I've been thinking a lot about your comments and two things keep coming back to me. One, education and two, income/poverty level (which you stated). I was at Wendy's today (I don't frequent there--just when I have a strong craving or am in a rush). Anyway, there was a Hispanic woman there with her five children (all under the age of 8 or 9). She was obese. And, her oldest was on his way. She had a 16 month old (plus or minus but very close to Mads age) and she was giving her some of her supersized pop. Anyway, it was clear to me that this woman was in the low income bracket and not educated...just thought I'd share.
I wish that the roads in Michigan had more bike paths. That is a great form of exercise and not too hard on any body type. But, when you have to share the road with cars it is dangerous. I've noticed in places like Colorado and Alaska there are a lot of bike paths.
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