Obesity Rates Climb In Majority of States

Obesity rates continued their climb in 31 states last year. No state showed a decline.

Mississippi became the first state to crack the 30 percent barrier for adult residents considered to be obese. West Virginia and Alabama are just slightly behind, according to the Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention.

Colorado continued its reign as the leanest state in the nation with an obesity rate projected at 17.6 percent.

This year's report, for the first time, looked at rates of overweight children ages 10 to 17. The District of Columbia had the highest percentage -- 22.8 percent. Utah had the lowest percentage of overweight youth -- 8.5 percent.

Health officials say the latest state rankings provide evidence that the nation has a public health crisis on its hands.
Unfortunately, we're treating it like a mere inconvenience instead of the emergency that it is,'' said Dr. James Marks, senior vice president at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,a philanthropy devoted to improving health care.


SOURCE:
Live Science

This is disturbing to say the least.

How long will we continue only doing minor things about this, one of the worst health
pandemics in modern history.

Unfortunately without more government encouragement and corporate taxation,
I think that it wont be until, for the first time in history vast swathes of previous
generations outlive the next and parents outlive their children in record numbers.


Comments, Opinions?

[edit on 8/28/2007 by iori_komei]

I think if there was a guideline plan from cities that don't have such a big problem, to be show to cities that do, would help. Cities/areas to promote more outdoor activities, as opposed to watching tv or sitting at the computer all day(even though we love it!) and to also promote people eating better. More parks, more community gyms as an example. I say if the Vegetarian diet is more known about, more people will take it into consideration it as life change to loose weight, not to mention be healthy. Of course, everyone wants to look good or presentable, however I think part of the battle is the growing number of people who have self esteem issues. The obesity problem goes deeper than it is known.

We've been blessed with abundance. Those who can't control themselves reap the consequences.

Just be healthy yourself, that's your only concern. And those you care about, maybe.

I've also heard of many schools dropping their physical education 'classes' and opting for more indoor, sit down, "lets get them into college ASAP" type of education. I don't think thats all that helpful.... Physical activity should be encouraged in elementary and High School, since the rest of the day and evening the kids are just sitting at their computers anyway.

[edit on 29-8-2007 by Chiiru]

Wow, there's been a few threads on the fattening up of Americans lately.
I've replied to two in the last week or so.

Young Americans too fat to fight
www.belowtopsecret.com...

Study Finds Virus Contributes to Obesity
www.abovetopsecret.com...


I know there are fat people out there, but Canada and the U.S. have very similar lifestyles, and I don't see this happening in Canada.
I wonder why


I posted a couple pictures in the other threads to make my point, so I guess this thread deserves some Grade A US beef to make it complete.




Maybe Americans just like more junk in the trunk.

reply to post by iori_komei

As long as we have a food supply that supplies us with so many "empty calories", i.e. calories devoid of any real nutrition for the body, we will see an ever rising level of obesity. The photo of the obese woman on this thread is a woman who suffers from malnutrition. Her body sends her signals to keep eating because it desperately seeks vital nutrients like vitamins, minerals, living enzymes, omega essential fatty acids that her body is incapable of manufacturing for itself, but when she eats it's probably something cooked to death, or worse, completely synthetic. There ain't no nutrition in diet coke, just lots of aspartame to clog your liver and slow your metabolism even more. Sugar and alcohol, (almost molecularly identical), interfere with the absorption of vital nutrients. Too much caffeine (Starbuck's anyone?) can deplete calcium, as can too much animal protein in the diet. White flour requires no insect protection when transported as any insect that gets into it DIES! There is NO nutrition in white flour, not even for ants! Not to mention how most of us live out of our cars...work in stressed out/polluted environments....lose more muscle mass thru lack of exercise year after year and gain weight even easier as time goes by! And it COSTS to eat whole grain, organic, grass fed, wild caught food. The poor don't stand a chance. Neither do the uninformed.