American Obesity Levels Keep Rising

by

Joseph

Obesity levels have increased in sixteen states, according to an annual report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). In 1995 no state had obesity levels above 20 percent, fast forward twenty years and 49 states exceed this percentage.

38 states have obesity levels over twenty-five percent; since 1995 the obesity level in 7 states has more than doubled and 10 other states have experienced at least a ten percent rise in obesity. Obesity rates are growing fastest in Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee - all southern states.

Diabetes Levels Continue To Rise

Diabetes continues to be a problem as well. Diabetes has reportedly doubled in eight states; 43 states experiencing over seven percent, and 32 states have rates above 8 percent. Compared to 1995, when hypertension rates were above 20 percent in 37 states, today the entire nation is above 20 percent, nine of which have hypertension rates above 30 percent.

Relationship Between Education, Economics and Obesity

Economics and education influence obesity. According to the data, 33 percent of people with less than a high school education are obese, by contrast only 21.5 percent of people who graduated from college or technical school are obese.

Moreover, 33 percent of adults who make less than $15,000 per year are obese, but when looking at adults who earn $50,000 or more per year only 24.6 percent of them are reportedly obese.

Dr. Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health (TFAH), who prepared the report for the RWJF, underscored the seriousness of the problem when he said:"Today, the state with the lowest obesity rate would have been the highest in 1995. There was a clear tipping point in our national weight gain over the last twenty years, and we can't afford to ignore the impact obesity has on our health and corresponding health care spending." 

What This Report Means For You

The surest way to curb the rising tide is to eat healthy foods and exercise more often. "Creating healthy environments is key to reversing the obesity epidemic, particularly for children." said RWJF president and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey M.D., M.B.A. "It's the same with healthy food: when communities have access to healthy affordable foods, families eat better."

Obesity prevention is a task that is important to people of all ages, and a responsibility of everyone in the nation. Curbing obesity requires a basic understanding of nutrition and commitment to leading a healthy lifestyle i.e. eating healthy foods and making time for walking, stair climbing or other forms of exercise.

Talk to your doctor about setting up a fitness and nutrition program that is right for you. Obesity is a potentially deadly disease; it's linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and premature death. It's a problem that you must take seriously because your life depends on it.

We have responsibilities to God which are to honor Him and glorify Him. While we are saved by faith and not by acts, our actions should be to honor and glorify God's sacrificial death for our sins.

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Article Reference

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. http://www.rwjf.org/

"America's Obesity Epidemic Continues To Worsen" copyright © 2011 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy_(SM). All Rights Reserved.

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