A shocking finding in a new survey by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that in 2009 about 30 percent of the population in 9 states in United States was overweight. This comes as a shock as just two years back in 2007, only 3 states had that high rate of obesity.
Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, William Dietz, discussing the report said that though being obese is common, it is a pretty serious health risk and affects almost every system in the human body. Obesity increases the risk of type-2 diabetes, heart attacks, cancers and various other illnesses.
Individuals weighing a minimum of 30 pounds more than the healthy weight are considered obese. The study showed that 27 percent of US population is obese but this figure seems to be an underestimate. More reliable government data shows that about 73 million Americans are obese and that’s equal to 34 percent of the total population in 2009.
The survey involved 400,000 adults self-reporting on phone about their height and weight through a procedure known as Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. However, the National Health and Nutrition Survey are more trustworthy as it takes into consideration the height and weight actually measured instead of self-reporting. The latter showed higher rates of obesity.
The very recent NHANES data however shows a decrease in growth rates of obesity. But the incidence of obesity cases remain high and of high concern. An estimated $147 billion was spent on obesity-related medical bills by the US government in 2008.
The 9 stats where the percentage of obese individuals is more than 30 are Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
The study suggests various steps for fighting obesity like regular exercise, breast-feeding, avoiding high-calorie food and beverages, eating lots of fruits and vegetables. High incidences of obesity are seen in blacks and those without higher education than compared to whites and college graduates.
Source:
USA Today, CDC Survey
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