What will it take to reverse the obesity epidemic?

Health & Wellness

What will it take to reverse the obesity epidemic?

By
Dana Sparks

October 5, 2012

The medical journal JAMA recently devoted an entire issue to the topic of obesity — from research on risk factors for childhood obesity to outcomes of gastric bypass surgery. It also provided a wide range of viewpoints on the role of genetics, medications, environment, online apps, self-control and the government in the "battle of the bulge."

Also just released was the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012." The report reveals staggering statistics about obesity. It also forecasts the 2030 adult obesity rates for each state and the associated rise in obesity-related disease and health care costs:

Currently 35.7 percent of American adults and 16.9 percent of children ages 2 to 19 are obese (defined as a body mass index over 30).
If trends do not change, by 2030 the obesity rate for adults could top 44 percent nationally. In addition, rates could exceed 50 percent in 39 states and 60 percent in 13 states.

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