Obesity Rates Increase in 31 States: “

Obesity Rates Increase in 31 States

The newest report to measure state obesity rates gave most states a failing grade: the percentage of obese adults in 31 states increased in the past year. As a result, two-thirds of Americans are vulnerable to serious related disease like diabetes, cancer and stroke. The report, titled ‘F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing America, 2006,’ found that:

  • The adult obesity rate rose from 15 percent in 1980 to 32 percent in 2004.
  • 64 percent of adult Americans are either overweight or obese, as of 2004.
  • The childhood obesity rate more than tripled between 1980 and 2004, from 5 percent to 17 percent.
  • The percentage of adults who are obese or overweight exceeds 60 percent in 28 states.

Perhaps the report will begin to prompt some much-needed revisions in the way we look at obesity, as clearly the government’s efforts to curb the epidemic have not been working. A spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association did sum up the problem quite well, pointing out that the environment in which we live is ‘built to promote obesity, and it is so pervasive that in order to make changes, we really need to change everything.’

Changing everything sounds intimidating, but it can be done a step at a time, starting with a few changes to your diet‘and exercise routine.

F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing America, 2006(Free Full-Text PDF)

Yahoo News August 29, 2006

(Via mercola.com blog.)