America’s Burgeoning Waist Line: Now, Deadlier Than Ever!

I read two interesting articles this morning about America’s burgeoning waste line, and thought I’d share a few quotes:

“Obesity is a public health crisis. If the rate of obesity and overweight continues at this pace, by 2015, 75 percent of adults and nearly 24 percent of U.S. children and adolescents will be overweight or obese,” Dr. Youfa Wang, who led the study, said in a statement.

— 75 Percent Of Americans Overweight By 2015 (Associated Press, July 19, 2007)

The article also mentioned that this problem is largely across the board. Every class, ethnic, and minority group seems to be struggling with this “disease.” Another article in conjunction with this from the Associated Press talked to the effect that few children who live near school walk or bike there.

In 1969, about 90 percent of kids who lived within a mile of school walked or rode bikes to get there. In 2004, just 48 percent did that at least one day a week, the new study found.

— Few Kids Who Live Near School Walk Or Bike There (Associated Press, July 13, 2007) Emphasis mine

Living in an older community in Pennsylvania I see kids walking to school all the time to the local elementary school. I don’t see a ton of kids, but I do see many. Many mothers walking with their kids, pushing strollers, interacting with other mothers as well. The school also has a dedicated crossing guard crew to help with morning town traffic and sidewalks to utilize for walking.

My opinion on the matter is I know how easy it is to gain weight and I know how hard it is to lose, but just because its difficult doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it. Honestly losing weight is inconvenient, takes discipline, and costs time and money. Things which seemingly are at odds with our consumerism society. Personally it wasn’t until I became disciplined with my money did I start to become serious about losing weight. Since my wife and I have gone on plan to pay off debt last October, not only have we paid off almost $23,000 in debt, but I’ve lost about 30lbs. The two do go together. You cut the cable, pack your lunch, and cook your dinners at home; you’ll find you’re typically eating healthy, eating less fats and calories, eating smaller portions, and doing more outside with friends and family because you don’t have a box beckoning for your evening.

Finally an article from Bankrate.com cites a few recent studies that have shown that using credit cards to pay for fast food purchases (an increasing trend!) not only increases your chances of spending more then you would with cash, but you’re more likely to be fatter!

In a study published in June 2006 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said they found the average up-sized fast-food meal added 73 more calories to the meal, cost an extra 67 cents and resulted in an average 36-gram (0.07 pounds) weight gain.

— Credit Cards Can Make You Fat (BankRate, July 4, 2007)

Overall obesity is a growing problem in America, which is difficult to attack I feel because while most of us would ideally support a healthy lifestyle, few are ready to take the actions to do anything about. It’s much easier to stay at home after a long day at work, but there are numerous health benefits for living an active lifestyle which should get us moving. But just debt, unless you’ve reached a point where you’re just sick and tired of being fat — you’re not going to do anything about it. Unfortunately for many people increasingly, that point is longer and longer in coming.

Posted by Joshua Hynes

This entry was posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 at 6:53am. It has been filed under Media, Quotes, News, Health, Thoughts, Writers, Joshua.

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