Since the mid-1970s, the number of overweight and obese Americans has increased sharply for both adults and children. Data from two Centers of Disease Control and Prevention surveys show that among adults aged 20 to 74, obesity rates have increased from 15% in the 1976-80 survey to 32.9 % in the 2003-04 survey.
The two surveys also show weight increases among children and teens. For children aged 2 to 5 years, obesity rates increased from 5 % to 13.9%; for those aged 6 to 11 years, rates increased from 6.5% to 18.8%; and for those aged 12 to 19 years, rates increased from 5% to 17.4%.
"We are headed in the wrong direction," warns Janet Collins, director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the CDC.
The associated health problems of overweight and obese Americans have a significant economic impact on the U.S.
health care system, reports the CDC.
In 1988, the last year for which complete data is available, health problems attributed to overweight or obese Americans accounted for 9.1% of total U.S. medical expenditures at an estimated cost of $78.5 billion, the CDC reports.
Approximately half of these costs were paid by Medicaid and Medicare.
In conjunction with the CDC, the Washington, D.C.,-based Trust for America's Health released its fourth annual "F as in Fat" report. It ranks obesity rates by state and region. Mississippi has the highest number of obese people while Colorado has the lowest, at 17%. But in all states and regions, obesity rates are going up, the report states.
"Poor nutrition and physical inactivity are robbing America of our health and productivity," said Jeff Levi, executive director for the trust.
Nowhere is that theft more apparent than in children, where in some cases the rates have tripled. Morbidly obese 2-year-olds were uncommon 20 years ago, now pediatricians report seeing them daily.
The increase in obesity in adults and children threatens to reverse gains made in U.S. life expectancy, reports the CDC. We might be seeing for the first time in decades an American generation that will die younger than the one before.
Vaccinations and antibiotics have done away with many of the scourges, such as measles and smallpox, that at one time prematurely took the lives of many Americans. Today, our biggest health threat is what we eat. We have seen the enemy, and it is ourselves.
Let's make no mistake about it: Obesity is deadly. It leads to increased risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, among other things. These diseases are growing right along with waistlines in our nation's children.
Our mothers were right when they hollered at us, "It's a nice day. Get outside and play." Mom was right when she told us to eat our fruits and vegetables, too.
The trust makes these suggestions for reversing the trend toward a fatter, less-healthy America:
- Think big. The federal government should develop and implement a national strategy to combat obesity. This plan should involve every federal government agency, define clear roles and responsibilities for states and localities, and engage private industry and community groups.
- Make healthy choices easy choices. Federal, state and local governments should develop and implement policies that give Americans the tools they need to make it easier to engage in the recommended levels of physical activity and choose healthy foods. These can include increasing opportunities for physical activity in schools, requiring restaurants and food companies to provide better and more readily accessible information about the nutritional content of their products, and securing more safe, affordable recreation places for all Americans.
- Improve your bottom line. Federal, state and local governments should work with private employers and insurers to ensure that every working American has access to a workplace wellness program.
- Increase research on how to promote healthy choices. Public health officials have identified a number of strategies to help encourage people to make healthier decisions about nutrition and activity; however, much more research needs to be done about how to effectively promote healthier habits.
