American Expansionism - Waistlines Are Continue to Grow

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

08 Sep 2006 09:30 AM

Did you know that American healthcare costs could save about $5.6 billion in treating heart disease if a fraction of Americans, just one-tenth would begin a regular walking program? The report comes from a 2004 study in healthcare costs and the rising concerns associated with obesity and obesity related health problems.

The Trust for America's Health is an advocacy group that supports and promotes increasing the public health funding. They recently published a study that shows an increase in obesity in 31 states with Mississippi leading the way at 29.5% of adults being obese, increasing 1.1% over the previous year. Colorado is the leanest state with only 16.9% of its adults being obese.

Every state, save Nevada, was up slightly in their obesity rates. Nevada was actually down a percentage point. Still,health officials urge people to understand that a state's obesity rate is only reflective of the different health problems in low-income versus high-income populations and that different areas have different challenges.

For those curious, the highest obesity rates were found in:

• Mississippi
• Alabama
• West Virginia
• Louisiana
• Kentucky

And the five leanest states were:

• Colorado
• Hawaii
• Massachusetts
• Rhode Island
• Vermont

The Trust for America's Health based their numbers on a three year average taken from 2003, 2004 and 2005. They use a variety of collection methods including sampling data from phone surveys. They work to educate the public as well as providing recommendations for government intervention and health programs. Among their recommendations for reducing obesity, they have submitted:

• Employers should offer their workers benefits that help them stay healthy, such as nutrition counseling and subsidized health club memberships
• The government should mandate routine screenings that measure the fitness of Medicaid beneficiaries, plus subsidize or reimburse them for participating in exercise and fitness programs
• At the local level, governments should approve zoning and land use laws that give people more chances to walk or bike to the store or to work. Local governments also should set aside more funding for sidewalks

Of these, my favorite is the recommendation to the local governments - improving areas for outdoor recreation should be more important than a new strip mall. But hey, that's just me!

The group works diligently to provide information to not only governments on a local, county, state and nationwide level, but also to educate the individual. Most of their recommendations include eating a balanced diet, exercise more regularly and cut back on the things that we know are bad for us - such as an overabundance of sweets, alcohol, smoking and more.

Interesting, eh?

Related Articles:

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The United Fat States of America

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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