Americans fatter than ever â€" study
Sep 02, 2007
AMERICANS are fatter than ever, with obesity rates up in most states and fewer people exercising, according to a study released recently.
AMERICANS are fatter than ever, with obesity rates up in most states and fewer people exercising, according to a study released recently.
Adult obesity rates rose in 31 states last year, the Trust for Americas Health report, said. The group advocates a concerted effort to fight obesity, where more than 60% of adults are either obese or overweight.
This would include changes in laws, including mandates on school lunches, requiring insurers to pay for weight loss programmes and restoring physical education programmes in schools.
Children are especially at risk, the group said. “The rate of childhood obesity more than tripled from 1980 to 2004. Approximately 25 million children are now either obese or overweight,†the report said.
Future health impacts
“Particularly when looking at kids. If we aren’t addressing the childhood obesity problem now, there is not going to be affordable healthcare reform.â€
There is little dispute over what is causing the epidemic.
Dr James Marks, senior vice-president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which helped pay for the report, said: “People are eating more and being less active.
About a quarter of people eat fast food everyday. The amount of calories has gone up. The quality of lunches in schools has gone down.â€
Fewer children walk to school or play outside after school and people find it more difficult to exercise, Marks noted.
Obesity and overweight are defined using body mass index, a measure of height versus weight.
A body mass index of 25 or above is considered overweight, while 30 or above constitutes obesity, with a greater risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
Reuters
FACT BOX
Body mass index is calculated by dividing weight in kilogrammes(kgs) by height in metres squared, or by multiplying weight in pounds by 703 and dividing it by height in inches squared.
A person 65 inches (165 cm) tall, or 5’5†has a BMI of 25 and is overweight at 68 kgs. The same person would be obese with a BMI of 30, at 81.6 kgs.
At 6 feet, or 72 inches (182.9 cm), a person has a BMI of 30 at 100 kg and a BMI of 25 at 83.5 kg.
The National Institutes of Health has an online BMI calculator at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Adult obesity rates rose in 31 states last year, the Trust for Americas Health report, said. The group advocates a concerted effort to fight obesity, where more than 60% of adults are either obese or overweight.
This would include changes in laws, including mandates on school lunches, requiring insurers to pay for weight loss programmes and restoring physical education programmes in schools.
Children are especially at risk, the group said. “The rate of childhood obesity more than tripled from 1980 to 2004. Approximately 25 million children are now either obese or overweight,†the report said.
Future health impacts
“Particularly when looking at kids. If we aren’t addressing the childhood obesity problem now, there is not going to be affordable healthcare reform.â€
There is little dispute over what is causing the epidemic.
Dr James Marks, senior vice-president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which helped pay for the report, said: “People are eating more and being less active.
About a quarter of people eat fast food everyday. The amount of calories has gone up. The quality of lunches in schools has gone down.â€
Fewer children walk to school or play outside after school and people find it more difficult to exercise, Marks noted.
Obesity and overweight are defined using body mass index, a measure of height versus weight.
A body mass index of 25 or above is considered overweight, while 30 or above constitutes obesity, with a greater risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
Reuters
FACT BOX
Body mass index is calculated by dividing weight in kilogrammes(kgs) by height in metres squared, or by multiplying weight in pounds by 703 and dividing it by height in inches squared.
A person 65 inches (165 cm) tall, or 5’5†has a BMI of 25 and is overweight at 68 kgs. The same person would be obese with a BMI of 30, at 81.6 kgs.
At 6 feet, or 72 inches (182.9 cm), a person has a BMI of 30 at 100 kg and a BMI of 25 at 83.5 kg.
The National Institutes of Health has an online BMI calculator at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/