U.S. obesity problem intensifies

ravdin

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ravdin
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I came across an alarming report concerning the rise in obesity in the United States:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8129184.stm

Obesity for the purpose of the study is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher. A few statistics:

  • Obesity rates rose from the previous year in 23 of 50 states, and fell in none.
  • Only one state, Colorado, reports an obesity rate under 20%. In 1991 no state was over 20%.
  • The national obesity rate in has doubled since 1980, from 15 to 30 percent.
  • Childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1980.
  • The percentage of obese or overweight children is at or above 30% in 30 states.

Good news and bad news concerning aging baby boomers. The good news is that extra weight does not seem to have an impact on life expectancy. The bad news is that it means while older, fatter people will live about as long as their slimmer counterparts, they're likely to need a lot more health care. We can soon expect a jump in obese Medicare patients.
 
Zygar said:
BMI is a horrible measurement of health.
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BMI is just the height/weight ratio, and I agree it's a poor predictor of health on an individual basis. But there's a high correlation between weight and many diseases (heart disease, diabetes) that should be more telling as an aggregate.
 
I have no sympathy for anyone who doesn't at least show some discipline in controlling their weight.
 
Harpyja said:
I have no sympathy for anyone who doesn't at least show some discipline in controlling their weight.
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Say it a little more self righteously. I don't think it came through the first time.

This message brought to you by sarcasm.
 
ravdin said:
BMI is just the height/weight ratio, and I agree it's a poor predictor of health on an individual basis. But there's a high correlation between weight and many diseases (heart disease, diabetes) that should be more telling as an aggregate.
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The problem with the BMI is that it doesn't differentiate between fat tissue and muscle. If you lift weights and are muscular, you'll have a high BMI and you'll probably be counted in the statistics as being obese. For example, I'm 5' 11" and weigh 188 lbs, giving me a BMI of 26.2 which makes me officially overweight. But if you saw me you'd probably think I'm rather slender. I go to the gym several times a week, and although I'm not bulked up, the mass I do carry is mostly muscle.

Steve S.
 
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The measurements that should be used are height and waist. A super fit person would have a small waist, and a fat person would have a big waist. As it is I could say Americans are now a fitter group of people. Nothing to say I am wrong.
 
And people keep blaming the US for global warming. The place is actually one enormous carbon sink.
 
tyr_13 said:
Say it a little more self righteously. I don't think it came through the first time.
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Fine, how about this - I understand some people have medical conditions that keep them from losing weight. I understand that some people just simply don't want to bother losing weight, or can't because of their schedule. Fine. What I don't understand is how obesity, unlike most other medical conditions, has a stigma of being a subject that cannot be broached. Why is it that people suffering from obesity who have the choice to lose weight expect people to accommodate their lifestyle choice? Why is it considered taboo to teach children proper dieting habits, and why are people pushing for "fat acceptance," which is essentially acceptance of a destructive habit?

I don't have anything against people who are fat by choice. It's the sort of people who force their stigma on others that bother me, particularly in the medical field and with children.

For example, from the NAAFA website, it says that one of the ways that our culture enables size discrimination is that it perpetuates thinness as being desirable. Why should thinness not be a desirable trait? I would imagine that as a whole, particularly in western countries, being physically fit is considered sexually attractive and as being a far more desirable state to be in.

Also from the NAAFA, from their HAES page:

  • Promoting eating in a manner which balances individual nutritional needs, hunger, satiety, appetite, and pleasure
  • Promoting individually appropriate, enjoyable, life-enhancing physical activity, rather than exercise that is focused on a goal of weight loss
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Why should medical care focus on promoting pleasurable rather than healthy dieting? I would imagine having sex without a condom would be more pleasurable, but is it a safe habit of getting into? Also, from a medical perspective, why promote physical activity that does not help an individual get healthier? Isn't the goal of modern medicine of keeping us healthy and prolonging a healthy, vibrant life? So why advocate for teaching and applying methods that have been known to shorten life and bring with them all sorts of medical maladies?
 
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Harpyja said:
Fine, how about this - I understand some people have medical conditions that keep them from losing weight. I understand that some people just simply don't want to bother losing weight, or can't because of their schedule. Fine. What I don't understand is how obesity, unlike most other medical conditions, has a stigma of being a subject that cannot be broached. Why is it that people suffering from obesity who have the choice to lose weight expect people to accommodate their lifestyle choice? Why is it considered taboo to teach children proper dieting habits, and why are people pushing for "fat acceptance," which is essentially acceptance of a destructive habit?

I don't have anything against people who are fat by choice. It's the sort of people who force their stigma on others that bother me.
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What?
 
Harpyja said:
..Isn't the goal of modern medicine of keeping us healthy and prolonging a healthy, vibrant life?
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That's what it should be, yeah. But in a place like the USA, where healthcare is largely in private hands, the logic of the system will tend to favour a situation in which the most money can be made. Thus obesity is to be welcomed. It gives you a large (and expanding) sector of the population who can be stuck onto all kinds of long-term expensive medication.
So why advocate for teaching and applying methods that have been known to shorten life and bring with them all sorts of medical maladies?
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$ ?
 
plumjam said:
That's what it should be, yeah. But in a place like the USA, where healthcare is largely in private hands, the logic of the system will tend to favour a situation in which the most money can be made. Thus obesity is to be welcomed. It gives you a large (and expanding) sector of the population who can be stuck onto all kinds of long-term expensive medication.

$ ?
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mmh interesting point.
 
beeing fat by choice?
i eath much by choice, i drink coke/redbull and know very well it makes me fat. but i dont choose to be fat (1.7m / 100kg). i choose to eat what i like and care not enough about calories or doing some sport. but i surely did not choose to be fat or become fat.

but different to some other fattys, i dont blame others for it. not even Burger King and Cocacola.

nobody should promote beeing fat, thats stupid, but a bit more tollerance from society can be expected in some cases, i think.
 
No, I pity fat people.
1. They may be sick and so be unable to lose weight.
2. They may be ignorant about the right foods to eat, so do not know how to lose weight.
3. There may be some stresses on them that do not allow them to eat right.
4. There are too many diets that do not work. People who try these end up worse than before.


I do not think it is the fault of the fat people that they are fat. None of the reasons above allow people to lose weight. Most people who try to lose weight fail within the year and end up worse than before.
 
10 years ago, i was on my perfect weight for about 2 years. i wasnt fat and even was geting some muscles.

all it need was me to eat double and make sport every day :) it took me about 3 months to loose 30 kilo. and i was still eating about double others ate.
i dont have non of those nice excuses to be fat. :( im just lazy :D
 
There are glandular and hormonal conditions that can cause people to become obese. These people didn't choose to be fat.
 
The natural response of human beings for centuries to excess food has been to have more kids (indeed this is common to all species of animals throughout history).

But people stopped having more kids thanks to birth control and guess what? That excess food had to go somewhere!
 
I don't get it. Is the problem intensifying, or getting larger? Retaining water weight? Or was it just big-boned to begin with?
 
rjh01 said:
The measurements that should be used are height and waist. A super fit person would have a small waist, and a fat person would have a big waist.
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That is interesting! And makes sense.

I googled "chart height waist" and found the Ashwell Shape Chart, which does precisely that:
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/healthyweight/yourbodyshape/

This is on a UK govt web site. My question to JREF posters from the UK -- is this chart commonly used and endorsed by UK doctors? If so, is it recommended more or less often than the BMI calculations?
 
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