Spring Break
Better methods for obesity control exist
Tyler Vogler
Issue date: 10/13/08 Section: Opinion
A group of doctors have approved, even urged, cholesterol drugs for children as young as 8 years old. This is obviously for extreme cases of children affected by "bad" cholesterol, but I have to ask the question: When did America's obesity problem get this bad?
It's a pretty well established fact that obesity is a major problem in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32.9 percent of the population above the age of 20 is considered obese. In a 2006 survey, 22 states had a prevalence of obesity greater than or equal to 25 percent of the population. No states had a prevalence of obesity less than 18 percent.
Although the statistics vary depending on the source, the underlying message is quite clear: there has been a dramatic increase in obesity across the United States in the last 20 years.
Obesity has become an American epidemic, a serious problem that's not easily solved. It's not like we aren't trying. The United States Department of Agriculture has pushed public health campaigns, health education has tried to reach children at a young age to promote healthy eating, and an entire industry has grown, pushing diet programs, pills and surgeries. Still, America's waistline continues to grow.
There is obviously a problem here.
There are a number of factors that lead to obesity. Some are born genetically predisposed to the disease, but most experts agree that environmental factors like poor diet and low activity levels are primarily to blame for the majority of obesity cases.
People are obviously going to have problems saying no in a bigger-is-better, hypercommercialized American culture where you can pick up a 32-ounce high-fructose corn syrup beverage for 89 cents. When most people's meals come out of a microwave or a drive-thru window and are far from balanced, it's easy to see how nutrition is becoming less of a priority.
Even the USDA's updated MyPyramid is too confusing to give easy food guidance to Americans. Further compounding the problem is a severe lack of activity in the average American's day.
Most people want the easy fix: the magic pill that will shed the pounds while you continue a steady diet of hamburgers and fries. Unfortunately, such a solution does not exist.
If people would start to break from their unhealthy lifestyles and start to eat healthier and exercise more, I think they will be surprised to feel the benefits in other aspects of their lives. Besides the obvious health benefits, it's been shown that regular exercise helps improve mood and energy, and a controlled and healthy diet can add to those benefits.
There has to be a more effective way to educate the public on portion control and proper nutrition. Employers have begun giving incentives, like insurance breaks, to those employees living healthier lifestyles. Not everyone's obesity problem can be solved with diet and exercise, but no one can argue that the health benefits are definitely worthwhile.
It's a pretty well established fact that obesity is a major problem in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32.9 percent of the population above the age of 20 is considered obese. In a 2006 survey, 22 states had a prevalence of obesity greater than or equal to 25 percent of the population. No states had a prevalence of obesity less than 18 percent.
Although the statistics vary depending on the source, the underlying message is quite clear: there has been a dramatic increase in obesity across the United States in the last 20 years.
Obesity has become an American epidemic, a serious problem that's not easily solved. It's not like we aren't trying. The United States Department of Agriculture has pushed public health campaigns, health education has tried to reach children at a young age to promote healthy eating, and an entire industry has grown, pushing diet programs, pills and surgeries. Still, America's waistline continues to grow.
There is obviously a problem here.
There are a number of factors that lead to obesity. Some are born genetically predisposed to the disease, but most experts agree that environmental factors like poor diet and low activity levels are primarily to blame for the majority of obesity cases.
People are obviously going to have problems saying no in a bigger-is-better, hypercommercialized American culture where you can pick up a 32-ounce high-fructose corn syrup beverage for 89 cents. When most people's meals come out of a microwave or a drive-thru window and are far from balanced, it's easy to see how nutrition is becoming less of a priority.
Even the USDA's updated MyPyramid is too confusing to give easy food guidance to Americans. Further compounding the problem is a severe lack of activity in the average American's day.
Most people want the easy fix: the magic pill that will shed the pounds while you continue a steady diet of hamburgers and fries. Unfortunately, such a solution does not exist.
If people would start to break from their unhealthy lifestyles and start to eat healthier and exercise more, I think they will be surprised to feel the benefits in other aspects of their lives. Besides the obvious health benefits, it's been shown that regular exercise helps improve mood and energy, and a controlled and healthy diet can add to those benefits.
There has to be a more effective way to educate the public on portion control and proper nutrition. Employers have begun giving incentives, like insurance breaks, to those employees living healthier lifestyles. Not everyone's obesity problem can be solved with diet and exercise, but no one can argue that the health benefits are definitely worthwhile.
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