Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
Quote:
Mississippi Tops State Obesity Ranking
State-by-State Ranking: Mississippians Most Massive, Coloradans Leanest By Daniel DeNoon WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD on Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Aug. 29, 2006 -- Mississippians are the most massive Americans, while Coloradans are leanest, a state-by-state obesity survey shows.
Nearly 30% of Mississippi adult residents are obese. The state tops the new list from Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit group lobbying to make disease prevention a national priority.
But Mississippi isn't alone. It's among the 13 states in which at least one in four adult residents is obese.
The 10 states with the highest obesity rates are:
Mississippi Alabama West Virginia Louisiana Kentucky Tennessee Arkansas Indiana (tie for 8th) South Carolina (tie for 8th) Texas Colorado is the leanest state. But that's only by comparison: Seventeen percent of Coloradans are obese. Not even a single U.S. state is near the national goal of reducing the obesity rate to 15% by 2010.
The 10 states with the lowest obesity rates are:
Colorado Hawaii Massachusetts Rhode Island Vermont Connecticut Montana Arizona Utah Nevada Call for Government, Employer Action
The rankings include data collected from 2005 and from a three-year interval of 2003-2005. They come from the CDC's annual telephone survey.
What can be done? According to its 2006 report, The Trust for America's Health says "individual behavior change will not work in isolation."
It recommends:
- Fast-tracking research to identify the best ways to fight obesity - Full funding for long-term government actions - Using measures of improved nutrition and physical activity rather than weight loss to measure progress - Community-driven efforts to increase access to healthy foods in low-income areas - Improved physical fitness programs and nutrition in schools - Employer initiatives to give employees places -- and time -- to exercise - Nutritional labeling of foods based on product size rather than serving size
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Last edited by ¡B! on Fri Sep 01, 2006 3:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
- Fast-tracking research to identify the best ways to fight obesity
Most people won't read the research. Almost all won't care.
Quote:
- Full funding for long-term government actions
People are fat! Quick, raise taxes!
Quote:
- Using measures of improved nutrition and physical activity rather than weight loss to measure progress
We can try again. Its been done a million times, but yeah we can try again. Of course, physicians and trainers will invariably resort to old methods once these prove to be cumbersome.
Quote:
- Community-driven efforts to increase access to healthy foods in low-income areas
Not a bad idea. The trick is getting these people to choose these items, and then actually eat them.
Quote:
- Improved physical fitness programs and nutrition in schools
Yeah but it would conflict with the conventional government wisdom of cutting physical education programs. We'll just confuse the Department of Education.
Quote:
- Employer initiatives to give employees places -- and time -- to exercise
I've seen this actually tried at a few factories. The workers call it things such as "worthless", "stupid", or a "jack-off session". They hate it. Most of these men and women are battling chronic overuse injuries in the workplace, and anything extra just pisses them off something fierce. If it cuts into smoke-break time, you may have a riot on your hands.
Quote:
- Nutritional labeling of foods based on product size rather than serving size
How many people currently read nutrition labels?
I don't want to shit all over these ideas, because at least someone is trying. But I just do not see a lot of hope in these ideas, because the condition is so multi-factorial and deeply engrained in society. We need to fight it, but we need better ideas.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:56 pm Posts: 19957 Location: Jenny Lewis' funbags
Akhenaten wrote:
I don't want to shit all over these ideas, because at least someone is trying. But I just do not see a lot of hope in these ideas, because the condition is so multi-factorial and deeply engrained in society. We need to fight it, but we need better ideas.
I see no possible way to eliminate obesity other than forcing people to eat healthy and exercise. As long as people have the right to choose, they are going to choose to eat shitty food. You can fill a neighborhood with all the vegetable stands and healthy food you want, but the biggest lineup will still be at mcdonalds.
The only recommendation i agree on is promoting healthier eating in schools, and providing the children with proper physical education every day, even if only for 15 or 20 minutes. Children need to learn to make healthy lifestyle choices at an early age, and if the parents aren't willing to teach them, then the school should be there to provide an alternative rather than reinforce those bad habits. I could give a rats ass about fat adults. Any adult with a fully functioning brain realizes that fat, grease, sugar, etc are not good for you, and by continuing to eat these things and neglecting to exercise they are making a concious decision to put their health at risk.
If i pack on a few pounds i have nobody to blame but myself. I'm not going to blame mcdonalds for continuing to sell me those delicious cheeseburgers, and i'm not going to blame the brewery for selling me the deliciously carb-filled beer. I'm a responsible adult, capable of making big boy decisions.
Here's another idea (which i think i remember reading in another thread so i'm probably stealing it). The government could add a "fat tax" to any food item at a restaurant or fast food joint that is above what is considered to be a normal fat content. 5 cents per extra gram of fat should do it. Say a burger cooked with lean ground beef at home has 10 grams of fat, but a burger fried at mcdonalds has 30 grams of fat...that works out to a tax of $1. The only way you are going to get peoples attention is by hitting them where it really hurts, in their wallet.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
MF wrote:
Here's another idea (which i think i remember reading in another thread so i'm probably stealing it). The government could add a "fat tax" to any food item at a restaurant or fast food joint that is above what is considered to be a normal fat content. 5 cents per extra gram of fat should do it. Say a burger cooked with lean ground beef at home has 10 grams of fat, but a burger fried at mcdonalds has 30 grams of fat...that works out to a tax of $1. The only way you are going to get peoples attention is by hitting them where it really hurts, in their wallet.
I don't know that taxing each gram of fat is the solution. There are several factors that make food unhealthy. Fat content, type of fat, fiber content, and the amount of processed sugars are probably the most prominent. You could use that info to determine "junk food," and ding people for those purchases either in restaurants or in supermarkets.
That way, even McDonalds could offer "tax-free" options. And you can put that money toward incentivising good health or repairing people who break themselves.
And don't tell me that there's no way to incentivise people. Blue Cross and Blue Shield has a booming success on their hands offering cheap prizes for gym memberships and healthy eating. I don't know how they document it, but you'd better believe an insurance company ain't giving shit away unless they know it works.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:56 pm Posts: 19957 Location: Jenny Lewis' funbags
B wrote:
I don't know that taxing each gram of fat is the solution. There are several factors that make food unhealthy. Fat content, type of fat, fiber content, and the amount of processed sugars are probably the most prominent. You could use that info to determine "junk food," and ding people for those purchases either in restaurants or in supermarkets.
True, i just used fat as an example because it's the most obvious and easy to scapegoat. I know for a fact, that if there were a fat-tax on foods with a high fat content, i would certainly reconsider buying that bag of chips next time i'm at the grocery store.
B wrote:
That way, even McDonalds could offer "tax-free" options. And you can put that money toward incentivising good health or repairing people who break themselves.
Like the tax on cigarettes, you are basically forcing people to pay for their own future health care. Living in Canada, i'm not 100% familiar with how health care works in the US, but it's my understanding that in order to get good coverage, you need to have a medical plan or pay for it out of your pocket right? The poorest citizens are still given care though, even though they can't afford it? Isn't that what medicare is, basic coverage for people who can't afford it? So if some poor fat bastard has chronic heart disease stemming from a lifetime of poor eating habits, he's not going to be denied service is he? Here though, i'm forced to give a large portion of my paycheck so that some jerk can sit on his fat ass all day and eat shitty food, knowing that when he gets sick, his government is going to take good care of him.
B wrote:
And don't tell me that there's no way to incentivise people. Blue Cross and Blue Shield has a booming success on their hands offering cheap prizes for gym memberships and healthy eating. I don't know how they document it, but you'd better believe an insurance company ain't giving shit away unless they know it works.
That will work for people who have health coverage. However you could stand at the street corner and hand out free lifetime gym memberships but it's only going to work on the small segment of the population that realizes they have a problem and want to do something about it.
But like is stated earlier, i don't really care about fat adults. They are capable of making decisions and i don't see the need for the government to make their decisions for them. If they want to be fat, then they should be willing to pay for it and that's as far as i think the government needs to intervene. Children on the other hand aren't able to make complicated lifestyle choices regarding healthy eating and exercise so they should be shown those options in school, especially if they aren't being given those at home.
i agree with MF to a point, fuck the adults--they know what they are doing--and focus on getting the right message to kids.
but really, take your average 8 year old...mom says, "put on your coat, we're going to get dinner at mcdonalds". even with a mega load of education, what kid is going to say, "no ma, let's go to the grocery store and make healthy choices tonite."
i just don't see it happening.
why are all the fattest people in the south? too hot to exercise? more rural so more people drive everywhere? diet?
_________________ cirlces they grow and they swallow people whole half their lives they say goodnight to wives they'll never know got a mind full of questions and a teacher in my soul and so it goes
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:56 pm Posts: 19957 Location: Jenny Lewis' funbags
kiddo wrote:
but really, take your average 8 year old...mom says, "put on your coat, we're going to get dinner at mcdonalds". even with a mega load of education, what kid is going to say, "no ma, let's go to the grocery store and make healthy choices tonite."
Well yeah, no kid in their right mind is going to say no to that. But if that kid goes through 12 years of school with positive examples of healthy eating and exercise (rather than just being talked down to in "health" class) then he is more likely to understand the value of making healthy choices when he is an adult. It's about providing kids with an alternative to what they may be getting at home.
My aunt told me an interesting story the other day. She was talking about how she will cut up a bunch of vegetables, put them on a tray with some dip and just leave it out on the kitchen table for the day, and she says without fail that plate will always be empty by suppertime. I thought that was a great example of giving kids the opportunity to make a healthy choice, without force feeding it to them (pun intended ).
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
MF wrote:
B wrote:
And don't tell me that there's no way to incentivise people. Blue Cross and Blue Shield has a booming success on their hands offering cheap prizes for gym memberships and healthy eating. I don't know how they document it, but you'd better believe an insurance company ain't giving shit away unless they know it works.
That will work for people who have health coverage. However you could stand at the street corner and hand out free lifetime gym memberships but it's only going to work on the small segment of the population that realizes they have a problem and want to do something about it.
Well, I was thinking more of using the tax to apply that concept to anyone who would like to enroll. Sign up and weigh in. Have the gym verify that you walked through the door 3X a week for a month, and you win free music downloads or a t-shirt or something. Lose 20 lbs. and win a gift certificate.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
Gimme Some Skin wrote:
Damn. The south is embarrasing.
I'm surrounded by fat, fundamentalist, conservatives.
Chicken and Biscuits, baby! Chicken and Biscuits!
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 12:09 pm Posts: 9363 Location: Manhattan Beach California
I grew up in Colorado and dont believe the stats...all the fat people stay inside because they cant breathe at that altitude...you only see 20% of them but there are alot more
Well, I was thinking more of using the tax to apply that concept to anyone who would like to enroll. Sign up and weigh in. Have the gym verify that you walked through the door 3X a week for a month, and you win free music downloads or a t-shirt or something. Lose 20 lbs. and win a gift certificate.
this is a good idea.
i'd add nutrition classes as part of the requirement to "win" stuff.
are weight loss plans like jenny craig and weight watchers tax deductible? if not, this may be an incentive too.
_________________ cirlces they grow and they swallow people whole half their lives they say goodnight to wives they'll never know got a mind full of questions and a teacher in my soul and so it goes
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
Doug RR wrote:
I grew up in Colorado and dont believe the stats...all the fat people stay inside because they cant breathe at that altitude...you only see 20% of them but there are alot more
Damn, and that's how they did the survey too. They drove through the state and counted the number of fat people they saw on the street! You blew their research methods to shit!
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
And don't tell me that there's no way to incentivise people. Blue Cross and Blue Shield has a booming success on their hands offering cheap prizes for gym memberships and healthy eating. I don't know how they document it, but you'd better believe an insurance company ain't giving shit away unless they know it works.
Great point, B. I would add that I think this would best be handled by private companies instead of the federal government. Insurance companies are often in the best position to do this type of task, while the government would require raised taxes and yet another bureau within HHS (that we know would be oh-so-efficient!).
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
).
That makes no sense at all, I figured it would be Nevada.)
