Posted on 09/19/2013 12:37:13 AM PDT by neverdem
After three decades of increases, adult obesity rates remained level in every state except for one, Arkansas, in the past year, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2013, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The full report is available here. Visit http://www.FasinFat.org/ for interactives, graphs, charts and obesity rates for the states and nation going back decades.
Thirteen states now have adult obesity rates above 30 percent, 41 states have rates of at least 25 percent, and every state is above 20 percent, according to the report. In 1980, no state was above 15 percent; in 1991, no state was above 20 percent; in 2000, no state was above 25 percent; in 2007, only Mississippi was above 30 percent.*
Since 2005, there has been some evidence that the rate of increase has been slowing. In 2005, every state but one experienced an increase in obesity rates; in 2008, rates increased in 37 states; in 2010, rates increased in 28 states; and in 2011, rates increased in 16 states.*
While stable rates of adult obesity may signal prevention efforts are starting to yield some results, the rates remain extremely high, said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. Even if the nation holds steady at the current rates, Baby Boomerswho are aging into obesity-related illnessesand the rapidly rising numbers of extremely obese Americans are already translating into a cost crisis for the healthcare system and Medicare.
Levi added, In order to decrease obesity and related costs, we must ensure that policies at every level support healthy choices, and we must focus investments on prevention.
(Excerpt) Read more at healthyamericans.org ...
Whether Fat or Skinny it is none of the givernments business..
ANY givernment federal, state or local..
Very few have no choice but most do... it TRUMPS Givernment..
Who you detest and/or despise is also another basic and natural RIGHT.. that's none of the givernments business..
I detest many black people.. and not a few whites..
I have actually despised a few asians.. and hispanics. ..
FREEDOM is not a river in Egypt.. or a tail wagging a dog..
Its bloody business freedom is.. it costs somebody blood for YOU... to be FREE...
Actually, that situation is becoming reversed; the super-big sizes are prevalent now. If I go into Kohl's to buy some, say, tees to wear with yoga pants, or a sweater, there will be one small and one medium, but a whole stack of XLs, XXLs, and XXXLs. It's the same at other stores. A salesperson advised me to grab any smaller-sized garments I like when I see them, and bring them back if necessary.....she said the large sizes will dominate as long as people are getting fatter.
Interesting. I’ve personally cut way back on soda consumption (a bit before the article was written) and have seen a pretty decent drop in weight (about 20 Lbs).
My kids are raised already. And yes, that is exactly how the doughy, self absorbed soccer moms here in the swing state of ohio would respond. Their sense of entitlement would make the stereotypical inner city welfare queen blush.
A fair compromise with the Obamas’ - revise SNAP to have purchase restrictions like WIC. You can get low fat milk, low fat cheese, peanut butter, beans, peas, rice - healthy, nutritious foods. Include potatoes, which WIC doesn’t cover. Exclude Little Debby, soda, the flavored sugar water kids’ drinks. And prohibit things like lobster and expensive steaks, to control the costs.
If people on food stamps could only purchase healthy foods like Michelle Obama advocates, they’d make a major dent in the obesity crisis, since the poor are the most likely to be fat. Targeting SNAP makes it a government entitlement reform and health reform, without punishing everyone else. By limiting the food choices to healthy items that need some preparation, those on welfare have a motivation to earn extra money to be able to buy those “luxuries” like sugary drinks.
The problem now is that food stamps comprise a significant percentage of retail food sales (and a LOT of high profit items) and the retailers have all lined up to lobby in favor of the gravy.
That’s a great story and critical because people did it on their own without the heavy hand of government.
Obese Americans have nothing to do with soft drinks, and everything to do with the growth hormones that are fed to the livestock that we eat, IMHO.
We are what we eat: Women are fat cows, and men are fat bulls. Deal with it.
Thanks for the ping!
Well said!
If obesity is really a problem we could always consider switching our national pastime from baseball to Sumo Wrestling.
Not sure why I got pinged to this article.
Maybe the NSA/IRS has me on a fat guy list?
I do get several emails every day telling I’m fat and they have something that I can buy that will fix that.
I thought they were just spam, but maybe there is more to it than that, when FReepers get involved.
/s
First, the “experts” keep revising the standards so that people suddenly find themselves in the overweight category.
Second, as people age then tend to gain weight. We are an aging society, and we are getting fatter. The “cure” for that one is death, but I don’t recommend it. ;-)
An excellent observation!
“...At least a substantial part of the obesity epidemic can be accounted for by a change in the definition of “obesity.” When the CDC changed the definition in 1997, 30 million Americans who had been of normal weight now found themselves to be obese, all without gaining a pound...”
http://heartdisease.about.com/od/dietandobesity/a/obesity_bad.htm
Seriously, obesity is one of the least of our problems in this society. BUT, there is money to be made banging that drum.
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