Americans Getting Fatter
More Americans, including children, are obese according to a recent report from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. “Adult obesity rates now exceed 25 percent in 31 states and exceed 20 percent in 49 states and Washington, D.C. Two-thirds of American adults are either obese or overweight. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent. In 1980, the national average for adult obesity was 15 percent.”
Mississippi has the highest rate of obesity (44.4%) among children aged 10-17. The states with the lowest rates (23.1%) were Minnesota and Utah.
Obesity increases health care costs because it causes so many health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes.
The report calls for a National Strategy to Combat Obesity that would promote policies that:
- Provide healthy foods and beverages to students at schools;
- Increase the availability of affordable healthy foods in all communities;
- Increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity at school;
- Improve access to safe and healthy places to live, work, learn, and play;
- Limit screen time; and
- Encourage employers to provide workplace wellness programs.
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