...And Leo's getting LARGER.
Posted on 08/23/2005 5:38:17 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
AMERICANS are getting fatter in every state, with the exception of Oregon, and those living in the southeast are the most likely to be obese, according to a report issued today.
Mississippi had the highest rate of obesity, with 29.5 per cent of adults classified as obese in 2004. In Colorado, the slimmest state, just 16 per cent of adults are obese, the Trust for America's Health found.
Oregon's rate of 21 per cent was unchanged.
"We have a crisis of poor nutrition and physical inactivity in the US and it's time we dealt with it," said Shelley Hearne, executive director of the group.
An estimated 119 million Americans, or 64.5 per cent, of adults are either overweight or obese and the rate has been rising steadily every year. The percentage of obese adults rose from 23.7 per cent in 2003 to 24.5 per cent in 2004.
More than 25 per cent of adults in 10 states are obese, including in Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and South Carolina, the survey found.
Experts agree the problem is difficult to solve.
Americans are surrounded by rich and tasty food, do not need to exercise as part of daily life and have many sedentary pursuits such as watching television and using the computer.
The nonprofit group's report said federal obesity programs are not yet extensive enough and found there are not enough local policies addressing community design issues, like sidewalks and suburban sprawl.
And school meal programs focus on getting the maximum calories into children, as opposed to balanced nutrition, the report found.
Another report released today offered one possible reason why more Americans are obese.
Dr Bryn Austin of the Children's Hospital Boston and colleagues found that fast-food restaurants in Chicago cluster themselves within a short walking distance of schools.
Writing in the American Journal of Public Health, the researchers found the nearest fast-food restaurant was half a kilometre away from half the city's schools, or just over a 5 minute walk.
Seventy-eight per cent of schools had at least one fast-food restaurant within just under one kilometre.
"Our cities are saturated with fast-food purveyors. Now we are finding that the concentration of fast food is even worse in school neighbourhoods," Dr Austin said in a statement.
"This means that five days a week, we are sending our schoolchildren into environments where there is an abundance of high-calorie, low-nutritional-quality, inexpensive food."
In the same journal, Kristen Harrison of the University of Illinois and colleagues reported that convenience or fast foods and sweets made up 83 per cent of foods advertised during children's television programming.
In other news...
Bears Sh*t in Woods, Scientists Prove
Hell Hot, say Sources
Experiment Proves Pigs Indeed Cannot Fly
...And Leo's getting LARGER.
What's up with Oregon?
Welcome to FR!
What I've always wondered about is if there is a component in here that has to do with lifestyle changes from agriculture to office work? Traditional rural food would seem to be geared to the active (hard working) lifestyle of a farmer and not the office worker.
almost choked on my Oreo when I read this title
American portion size is just nuts.
It is morally, legally and ethically impossible to be an American and believe in "federal obesity programs." God damn all nanny state f!!*ks to hell, please!
bttt
(BLOAT)
...but there's no denying people've gotten much fatter lately...
-----
And I wonder whose fault that is ??? The liberal whackos will always try and blame it on some company or someone else --- other than the fat pig that cannot stop eating...
Shut up and bring me a big piece of raspberry pie a la mode, if you please.
I'm shocked Wisconsin isn't on the list or heading it!
I thought Boston would be leading the world on the "International Lard Ass Table"!
I went to the Dr this morning and of course they have to weigh you everytime. The cute little nurse looked up and said 181. I told her you need to recheck that, I've been 175 for a cpl of years now. She took me to another scale and said "yep, 181".
Awwww crap. no more desserts for me /sigh
I'm not fat or big-boned. I just retain a lot of beer.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.