| And The Fattest State Is ... |
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The ever-growing waistlines of Americans expanded a little bit more in 2005 as 31 states registered an increase in obesity among adults. The findings led some health care experts to dispute the notion Tuesday that obesity is simply a personal choice. They say that finding ways to improve fitness needs more attention from the government, employers as well as the food and beverage industry. The organization that tracked obesity on a state-by-state basis, Trust for America's Health, said better information and access are the keys to improving health. organization found that nine of the 10 states with the highest obesity rates are in the South: Mississippi continued to lead the way. An estimated 29.5 percent of adults there are considered obese. It's followed by Alabama and West Virginia. Meanwhile, Colorado remains the leanest state. About 16.9 percent of its adults are considered obese. That mark was also up slightly from last year's report, but not enough to be considered statistically significant.
Employers should offer benefits that help workers stay healthy, such as nutrition counseling and subsidized health club memberships. The government should mandate routine screenings that measure the fitness of Medicaid beneficiaries, plus subsidize or reimburse them for participating in exercise and fitness programs. The food and beverage industry should be clearer about the calories and fat content in their products. They estimate calories and fat on a per-serving basis. They should estimate based on the size of the product, which often contain two or three servings, or more. |
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