Americans Just Keep Getting Fatter

It's disheartening to learn that despite programs to educate children and adults on the benefits of health and exercise, our nation (and most of the rest of the world) continues to broaden its girth. In the last 15 years, adult obesity rates have doubled or nearly doubled in 17 states. 20 years ago not a single state had an obesity rate above 15%. Now all states do. Even Colorado, long the healthiest state in America has an obese rate of 19.8%. When you look at the statistics year by year it doesn't seem like much, but over a decade the steady climb becomes a crisis.

As if our healthcare system isn't in enough trouble already, burdening the system with millions of new diabetics now and in the future could mean disaster. People like Jamie Oliver and his Food Revolution are doing what they can to change the eating habits of children, but it's an enormous problem. Young adults who see their parents and grandparents develop diabetes and hypertension are not taking action to help themselves. They think poor health is their fate, but for the most part, that simply is not true. What in the world can we do to wake people up to this ever growing crisis?

Some solutions seem so simple, like boosting physical activity in schools, serving healthy lunches to school children, and broadening access to affordable healthy foods for people of all socio economic levels. But we've tried all this and it doesn't seem to work. I think we have to find out what motivates people and approach the problem from that perspective. Money motivates people and poor people are the unhealthiest, so possibly making food stamps go farther for fresh fruits and vegetables than they do for frozen foods might encourage them to buy healthier foods. Also, if you're a good driver you get a discount on your insurance. Possibly healthy policy owners should get a discount on their health insurance. Competition is another motivation for many people. I can see towns having programs where the whole town is working to lose weight, reduce hypertension, and increase exercise. Anything you do as a group seems to motivate. Just look at Weight Watchers.

Well that's my rant for today. I feel passionately about the terrible toll diabetes is taking on our population, especially because so much of it is preventable. My father in law was a diabetic late in life and I saw what it did to him. Fortunately he died a few weeks before they were going to have to amputate his foot. My husband is a diabetic, also developed late in life, but he is doing a lot to control it. He watches his diet and exercises. It's been 10 years since he was diagnosed, and the disease has progressed very little.

The obesity rate remains highest in the deep south, Alabama and Mississippi have the highest rates, and disproportionaly high among poorly educated and minority people. Among African Americans, obesity topped 40% in 15 states.

Much of the problem is lifestyle. I go to Boulder, Colorado to visit my kids, and wonder where all the fat people are. Phil says they're aren't many. That's because most of the people living there live an active, healthy lifestyle. How to translate what Colorado and Utah are doing to the rest of the country, is the big problem. I hope someone smarter than me is working on this. If not, health care for the next 50 years will be consumed with taking care of diabetics, and at a younger and younger age.