The Skinny on the U.S. growth of the fat people

Minnie2361

http://blog.fooducate.com/2011/07/08/12-unfathomable-obesity-stats-make-you-want-to-cry/

The report is released every year (since 2006) and tracks obesity rates in all 50 states. The stats below make us want to cry. Seriously, we’re headed down a path of pain and agony for tens of millions of families, and for this entire nation.

1. Adult obesity rates rose in 16 states over the past year. NOT EVEN ONE state decreased.

2. Twelve states, led by the southeast, now have obesity rates above 30 percent: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

3. Just 4 years ago, one state was above 30%.

4. Obesity rates exceed 25% in more than two-thirds of states (38 states).

5. Mississippi had the highest rate of obesity at 34.4%.

6. Colorado had the lowest rate at 19.8% . It is the only state with a rate below 20% (but next year will probably be above)

7. Adult diabetes rates increased in 11 states and Washington, D.C. in the past year. In eight states, more than 10% of adults now have type 2 diabetes.

8. Education matters. High school dropouts have the highest rates of obesity (32.8%).

9. Money matters. Households that make less than $15,000 have a 33.8% obesity rate. Households that have an income above $50,000 have “only” a 24.6% obesity rate.

10. Over the past 15 years, seven states have doubled their rate of obesity. Another 10 states nearly doubled their obesity rate, with increases of at least 90%.

11. Over the past 15 years, diabetes rates have doubled in ten states. In 1995, only four states had diabetes rates above 6%. Now, 43 have diabetes rates over 7% and 32 have rates above 8%.

12. Ten years ago, no state had an obesity rate above 24%, and now 43 states have higher obesity rates than the state that was the highest in 2000.

Here’s what needs to be done:

A) The government must recognize we are in a state of emergency and act accordingly. Many more people are dying and suffering from the obesity epidemic than in any terror attack on this country.

While physical activity is important, part of healthy living, the main driver of obesity is excess food consumption. Let’s all agree on that, despite what soft drink company lobbies say.

C) Subsidies for corn and soy should be transferred immediately to fruits and vegetables. Junk food should be expensive, healthy food should be cheap.

D) Kids must not be exposed to junk food and fast food marketing.

E) Food companies must be beholden to a much higher standard when it comes to “health claims” and nutrition labeling.

Now, to all of you who are going to pull the “Nanny State” card, get a grip. This is not about people having free choice versus excess government intervention. This is about much needed public policy to protect consumers. No corporate self regulation will ever do that.

What else can we do?

soldier4242

Well the first thing we should do is not ask the government to fix this problem.

Obesity is not a contagious virus. People are obese for many different reasons including genetics but what people don't like hear is that the mains reason people are obese is because of the decisions each and every one of those people are making. They are decisions that they should have the right to make. People should be allowed to choose to make themselves obese. We have the right to learn from their mistake.

We should not have to pay for their health problems caused by that choice either. Stop asking to government to solve every single problem that exists.

Pearsquared

Even if the governmental changes did help, you'd be fighting against some of the most powerful industry lobbyists in the US. Good luck.~

supplemama

Tie it into money. I predict this is going to happen within the next decade now that the gub'mint is into health care. Obesity will be considered a choice (which it is) and junk food and fast food will be priced accordingly, like the way we do cigarettes (have you seen the price of ciggies lately? Over $6 a pack how do people even afford to smoke??). Obese people will be charged more for health insurance, life insurance (like smokers), etc.

Once folks have to start paying extra to be fat I think that will cause a sharp interest in folks maintaining a healthy, normal weight.

Also I think individual cities should allow lawn gardens and give tax breaks to grocery stores that come into urban areas so that most people have access to healthy, fresh veggies and fruit. The way they do now with walmart and such. Walmart came to the small town right next to mine and they got a city tax break for 7 years!! The government could also give more tax breaks and aid to farmers and other real food producers. Like the way we do to Monsanto and the way we give aid to huge corporations. Obviously more food and food production subsidy is needed.

Education wise, make daily Phys ed classes mandatory K-12. Or at least allow them to have daily RECESS like we had, nowadays many kids don't get recess even once a day. I would even go so far as to make maintaining a weight under obesity mandatory in order to graduate. This is an extreme idea but I work in education and I see SO many obese children, all ages. It is really bizarre and out of control. When I was a kid, I remember in elementary school there being only 2 obese children in the entire school, and maybe 10 or so overweight kids! Now I would say it's like at least half of any given class is overweight or obese. This is extreme, and something extreme is going to have to happen to reverse this. Same with college. I just needed 2 classes of a phys ed class to graduate college. I think it should be every term you have to take a physical activity of some sort. Maybe make it a free class...mandatory but not added to tuition.

One thing the government could do is to start a massive campaign to normalize what healthy, normal weights look like. Obesity is so common now, that obesity looks normal to many people!! At my biggest I was obese (238 pounds) but few people considered me more than 'chubby'. At 200 pounds I was STILL obese, but people just said I was 'thick'. At my current weight (149 pounds) I am within healthy weight range and plan to lose a bit more (130 pounds is my goal) and some people have actually called me 'too thin' or 'scrawny'!! LOOK at my pic, there is nothing scrawny about me. But compared to all the obese people walking around I guess so. As a nation we need to get a collective understanding of what healthy weights look like. It's not the uber-skinny weights most women are on television (at my goal weight I'd be considered 'big' for acting, modeling, etc) but neither is it the obese weights of your average American.

*edited to add: back in the day with traveling sideshows, the Fat Lady that people paid to see was only 200 pounds. Think about that. People used to pay cash money to see a 200 pound woman. Most people were of such normal weight that a 200 pound woman was considered a freak. Nowadays she'd be considered to be only a little overweight. How did we go from obesity being freakish to being considered normal? No one looked at me twice when I was 200 pounds (and over). I was just another fat woman. Now I don't think obese people should be ridiculed or made out to be freaks but certainly we should not consider it as normal.

RGv2

RGv2

Now, to all of you who are going to pull the “Nanny State” card, get a grip. This is not about people having free choice versus excess government intervention. This is about much needed public policy to protect consumers. No corporate self regulation will ever do that.

What else can we do?

I would also add to the obesity rate of the household incomes +50,000 because, by BMI, I'm obese.......just say'n.

JuantonBliss

I'd like to add that by states definition, my family is technically poor, and we still manage to eat healthy. Although, I did notice that when I moved for college my mother went straight to buying all frozen **** because her and my sister 'worked' all day. Bull**** cop-out. I was always busting her *kitten* to eat healthy because I love her and as soon as I left she went to the easy ****. I'm not saying my mom didn't normally eat healthy, but because she was always tired at this point in her life she went for convenience. Now that I'm back for a short time she's forced to eat better because I don't put up with that bull**** lol The point of this post: education is key.

beallh

I completely agree with the poster above, government should not be involved at all. People need to fix their own problems.

P.S. Subsidies should just be abolished not switched to fruit and veggies, subsidies were developed during a time of need for them, we don't need it anymore, same logic as unions. (Oops I probably just opened up a hge can of worms )

JuantonBliss

Tie it into money. I predict this is going to happen within the next decade now that the gub'mint is into health care. Obesity will be considered a choice (which it is) and junk food and fast food will be priced accordingly, like the way we do cigarettes (have you seen the price of ciggies lately? Over $6 a pack how do people even afford to smoke??). Obese people will be charged more for health insurance, life insurance (like smokers), etc.

Once folks have to start paying extra to be fat I think that will cause a sharp interest in folks maintaining a healthy, normal weight.

Also I think individual cities should allow lawn gardens and give tax breaks to grocery stores that come into urban areas so that most people have access to healthy, fresh veggies and fruit. The way they do now with walmart and such. Walmart came to the small town right next to mine and they got a city tax break for 7 years!! The government could also give more tax breaks and aid to farmers and other real food producers. Like the way we do to Monsanto and the way we give aid to huge corporations. Obviously more food and food production subsidy is needed.

Education wise, make daily Phys ed classes mandatory K-12. Or at least allow them to have daily RECESS like we had, nowadays many kids don't get recess even once a day. I would even go so far as to make maintaining a weight under obesity mandatory in order to graduate. This is an extreme idea but I work in education and I see SO many obese children, all ages. It is really bizarre and out of control. When I was a kid, I remember in elementary school there being only 2 obese children in the entire school, and maybe 10 or so overweight kids! Now I would say it's like at least half of any given class is overweight or obese. This is extreme, and something extreme is going to have to happen to reverse this. Same with college. I just needed 2 classes of a phys ed class to graduate college. I think it should be every term you have to take a physical activity of some sort. Maybe make it a free class...mandatory but not added to tuition.

One thing the government could do is to start a massive campaign to normalize what healthy, normal weights look like. Obesity is so common now, that obesity looks normal to many people!! At my biggest I was obese (238 pounds) but few people considered me more than 'chubby'. At 200 pounds I was STILL obese, but people just said I was 'thick'. At my current weight (149 pounds) I am within healthy weight range and plan to lose a bit more (130 pounds is my goal) and some people have actually called me 'too thin' or 'scrawny'!! LOOK at my pic, there is nothing scrawny about me. But compared to all the obese people walking around I guess so. As a nation we need to get a collective understanding of what healthy weights look like. It's not the uber-skinny weights most women are on television (at my goal weight I'd be considered 'big' for acting, modeling, etc) but neither is it the obese weights of your average American.

*edited to add: back in the day with traveling sideshows, the Fat Lady that people paid to see was only 200 pounds. Think about that. People used to pay cash money to see a 200 pound woman. Most people were of such normal weight that a 200 pound woman was considered a freak. Nowadays she'd be considered to be only a little overweight. How did we go from obesity being freakish to being considered normal? No one looked at me twice when I was 200 pounds (and over). I was just another fat woman. Now I don't think obese people should be ridiculed or made out to be freaks but certainly we should not consider it as normal.

You wanna make weight mandatory to graduate while they have to worry about SAT/ACT scores and state standardized testing (as much of a joke as they are)? NO THANKS LADY!!! Maybe if you want a bunch of EDs on your hand.

bcattoes

C) Subsidies for corn and soy should be transferred immediately to fruits and vegetables. Junk food should be expensive, healthy food should be cheap.

Um, soy beans are a vegetable.

This is not about people having free choice versus excess government intervention. This is about much needed public policy to protect consumers. No corporate self regulation will ever do that.

Yeah, it is about excess government intervention. Consumers aren't getting fat because they are being tricked or forced. They are willing eating too much and moving too little. It's not up to the government or corporation to solve this problem.

It's a capitalist society. Corporations follow the money. Stop buying crap and they'll stop producing crap. But, people want crap.

soldier4242

I completely agree with the poster above, government should not be involved at all. People need to fix their own problems.

P.S. Subsidies should just be abolished not switched to fruit and veggies, subsidies were developed during a time of need for them, we don't need it anymore, same logic as unions. (Oops I probably just opened up a hge can of worms )

I am torn when it comes to unions but I completely agree about subsidies.

lindustum

As a European I am of course by US standard a socialist and it's usually pointless to argue about yes/no government intervention.

I just want to say this: People simplify government power. It's either in, or out. In reality, there is heavy legislation across all areas of our lives; this includes the food industry. Differences between European and US-American McDonald's can easily be explained by regulation differences. In India, McDonalds products are much fattier and unhealthier because of less regulation (and yes, obesity in India is a big problem). Your life is already "regulated", you are already at the hand of a "nanny". It is regulated how much of what can go into our foods, how the packaging can look like, who can be advertised at.

In this context I can only call for more regulation of the food industry. The reason it has not happened yet is because the benefits of the industry still outweigh the costs of an obese population. The point of government intervention will be reached when people are asked to pay for the costs of obesity. "Regulation" does not mean entire products go off the shelves overnight, or that all restaurants must not serve any dish above 1000 calories, that dieting becomes a school subject. These are very far-reaching and interventionist measures that will most likely result in the political suicide of anyone attempting it, let alone the lack of reasoning behind it.

IamUndrCnstruction

Yeah, it is about excess government intervention. Consumers aren't getting fat because they are being tricked or forced. They are willing eating too much and moving too little. It's not up to the government or corporation to solve this problem.

It's a capitalist society. Corporations follow the money. Stop buying crap and they'll stop producing crap. But, people want crap.
[/quote]

Agreed. The government can not regulate the lifting of fork to mouth, nor should they.

I am not sure why the quote above did not come out as a quote! Sorry! I did not write that, I was agreeing with it :embarassed:

MissStatement

*puts onion on belt*

While I agree that there are ways the government can influence behavior in a positive way (it's happened since the existence of taxes after all), a big part of the issue today has to be the change to our lifestyle. I grew up in the 70's and 80's. The screen (TV, computer, phone) was such a small part of our lives, Saturday morning cartoons probably being the longest any kid was glued to the set at a given time. Otherwise, we were outside playing. Now, kids playing outside are the exception, especially when they get to the age that they begin to participate in social media, use phones, etc.

*takes onion off belt*

RGv2

Education wise, make daily Phys ed classes mandatory K-12. Or at least allow them to have daily RECESS like we had, nowadays many kids don't get recess even once a day.

Pretty sure phys ed is mandatory K-9, at least it was where I live. Not sure what the extra 3 years will add, plus this means raising taxes as many districts are cutting phys ed due to monetary restraints.

I would even go so far as to make maintaining a weight under obesity mandatory in order to graduate.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I wouldn't have graduated then......technically I was obese (technically still am).

I would have had to be borderline anorexic to get to a weight below obesity because the BMI scale is so far out of wack.

shannashannabobana

Now, to all of you who are going to pull the “Nanny State” card, get a grip. This is not about people having free choice versus excess government intervention. This is about much needed public policy to protect consumers.

The government was the one who told us to eat 11 servings of healthy whole grains, drop fat and healthy stuff like eggs, etc.. The government has been doing loads of unhelpful things over the years - I agree that they should stop giving subsidies for corn, etc.., but other than that I would prefer they but out and let people fix it themselves. If they want to restrict food stamp stuff to meats, fruits, veggies, etc instead of processed crap I would be ok with that. I am also cool with parks departments creating and maintaining nice trails and walking paths but otherwise they can but out because whatever they choose to do will probably do more harm than good - like the school lunch programs where they try to stop people bringing stuff from home.

Or at least allow them to have daily RECESS like we had, nowadays many kids don't get recess even once a day

I do agree with this, although not because of weight. Mostly because children need time to interact socially, get fresh air and get their energy out. Especially boys! Keeping them indoors for so long without a break is not natural or healthy for them.

It would be nice if schools still offered everyone old school Home Ec like my grandmother took - which taught them to make meats and veggies and to stay within budget for meals.

Um, soy beans are a vegetable

Soybeans are a legume.

ThickMcRunFast

Could it be that reasonable, informed public policy combined with individual responsibility might be the way to go?

bcattoes

for so long without a break is not natural or healthy for them.

Um, soy beans are a vegetable

Soybeans are a legume.

I know.. legumes are vegetables.

Alluminati

Could it be that reasonable, informed public policy combined with individual responsibility might be the way to go?

drvvork

Hey, take the food ads from television. It helped in reduction of smoking issues - it could be key with food. I can't have television on that long or the ads tantalize my taste buds. IMO.

chandanista

I agree on the recess and PE thing. In my area, PE is once a week. That's right--one day a week, for around one hour, the kids get to work hard and play a game. What's the first thing a kid loses if they act up or didn't finish their work? Recess.

I put my daughter into gymnastics/dance, and now that she's being homeschooled I take her on workouts almost daily. Sometimes she hates it (a walk, which isn't fun unless we are going somewhere fun, apparently) and other times she has to be dragged home kicking (rock wall climbing is her specialty). We are considering putting her into a martial arts class next year. But what about all the kids whose parents don't force them to get out, do stuff, and find a physical hobby they enjoy? Very few will go out of their way as an adult to find a physical hobby, instead doing what they grew up doing comfortably: watching TV, playing games, snacking while visiting each other. I'm not against snacking, I do so daily, but when it was chips and cupcakes it wasn't exactly conducive to my health.

I also think that TRUE information needs to be available in doctors' offices around the country, so doctors who are almost as misinformed as their patients quit suggesting crash diets and quick fixes that result in yo-yo weight. Heck, careful screening of any new diet plans on the market, to get some certificate of approval before the low information public get ahold of them, wouldn't hurt either. A lot of adults (Me, a year or so ago) have very little knowledge on what a good plan to healthy lifestyle actually is.

Chief_Rocka

What else can we do?

I vote we change the definition of obesity.

RGv2

Everyone says they agree on keeping/upping PE in schools, but very few actually want to shell out the extra tax bucks to keep it up.

RGv2

What else can we do?

I vote we change the definition of obesity.

whierd

What else can we do?

I vote we change the definition of obesity.

Cheapest solution IMO

jchadden42

Obesity is not a contagious virus. People are obese for many different reasons including genetics

There is actually no genetic link to obesity.

bananahb33

I'm not sure that this post really belongs on this forum but I think it is an important topic.

I think that one of the biggest issues we need to address are the messages we send children about food. No more soda machines, candy machines, in schools. My high school's lunch menu was curly fries, pizza, noodle cup, pop tarts. It's not as big of a deal in high schools, granted, but most middle and elementary schools are the same way. Any many kids really do rely on that food. One of the reason the obesity rates are higher for lower income households is probably that the kids on free and reduced lunch are being taught that tater tots are an acceptable side dish to any and every meal.

aFootballLife25

Sad.

0somuchbetter0

I totally agree that no one is responsible for my obesity but me and the bad choices I made in the past. I did find this article interesting, though. It looks at the bigger picture of obesity as a public health issue. It's even affecting pets and lab animals in this country. http://news.discovery.com/animals/fat-pets-obesity-weight.htm

stealthq

Obesity is not a contagious virus. People are obese for many different reasons including genetics

There is actually no genetic link to obesity.

Think they may have been referring to genetic diseases like Prader-Willi contributing to a specific individual being obese (yes, they still eat more than they burn, but when you are literally always hungry ... ). Not implying that genetics is linked to obesity in general.

BattleTaxi

TL; DR

OP is just creating new threads to post a bunch of copy paste garbage from different websites.