How Healthy is Your State?
As for the rest of the top 10, it's unfortunate that most of them include other southern states: Mississippi (with an obesity rate at 32.5%), Alabama (31.2%), West Virginia (31.1%), Louisiana (28.9%) and Arkansas (28.6%). The state with the lowest percentage of adult obesity (18.9%) was Colorado.
On the bright side, the report points how we've improved:
- 19 states have stricter nutritional standards for school meals, as opposed to five years ago when only 4 states legislated stricter standards.
- 27 states now have nutritional standards for foods sold in vending machines, a la carte and in school stores. Only 6 states did that five years ago.
- 20 states now have standards for BMI screenings for kids and teens in schools. Only 4 states did that five years ago.
I also wanted to point out what the report suggests for us to combat obesity:
- Offer healthy meals at school
- Make healthy foods available and affordable in all communities
- Offer more physical activity in schools
- More access to safe places for people to live and be active
- Limit computer time
- Find ways to encourage companies to offer wellness programs for their employess
I want to know what you think. First, how healthy is your state and, second, what do you think we need to do to change things in this country? Is there a way to turn things around with legislation and healthy living initiatives? If so, how do we pay for those things and how do we encourage people to change their lifestyles?
Source:
Trust for America's Health. F as in Fat 2009: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
Comments
I see that my state is just below the middle for adult obesity but in the top ten for kids! That doesn’t bode well for the future … or for the children
5th highest rate of adult obesity in the nation, at 29.7 percent and the 13th highest of overweight youths (ages 10-17) where I live…miserable!
It’s not an accident that Colorado is consistently the fittest state. There are people riding bikes, running and hiking on the trails, the gyms are busy,and the parks are full.EXERCISE. We can’t count on anyone but ourselves to make fitness a reality. Eat less and move more!
I notice in your article Mississippi is both Number 1 AND 2. Now that is quite a distinction and QUITE FAT! Wow.
ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK THE COUNTRY SHOULD DO IS PLACE A HIGHER PRICE ON THE UNHEALTHY FOODS OR TAX IT MORE THAN HEALTHIER CHOICES.
TOO OFTEN IN THE STORES THE GOOD HEALTHY FOOD AND DRINKS IS MORE EXSPESIVE TO PURCHASE THAN THE UNHEALTY STUFF SO IT MAKES IT HARDER FOR SOME PEOPLE TO STICK TO A HEALTHIER DIET.IF THEY DON’T HAVE IN THEIR BUDGET TO STICK TO IT,THEY END UP HAVING TO MAKE UNHEALTHY CHOICES.
zandersluv, Are you saying the government should be in my food pantry also? When is this idea that the governmet, by taxing, is in charge of changing citizens personal behavior going to end? This has got to stop and stop now!!! I thought this was a free nation. People should be in control of their own destiny. I do believe that people need to be educated better in nutrition (thats what we pay big dollars for a public school system to do). And governmet dollars for health care pertaing to poor health practices should be limited. Also monies from public aid should be limited to healthy food, or maybe the government should just give a box of heathy food to recipients (as in the last Great Depresion) rather than cash to spend as they like. Keep government out of my personal life!!!! Who are you or anyone else to dictate how citizens live?????
“New Jersey has the 10th lowest rate of adult obesity in the nation, at 23.4 percent and the 23rd highest of overweight youths (ages 10-17) at 31.0 percent”
not surprised. education is definitely the #1 way to stop children from hurting themselves this way. it seems like today’s parents are not overly concerned about their obese kids – i remember one child, who attended the pre-school i used to work for, would not eat anything but potato chips, cheetos, cookies, etc. i talked with the teacher i worked with about it, and she said that his mother just doesn’t care. and it’s not like anyone was even allowed to tell his mother that he needs to bring a healthier lunch. she didn’t even pack him a sandwich because “he won’t eat it.” the first time he dumped his lunchbox full of junk food onto the table i was utterly shocked. if parents are not going to make the effort to educate their children about nutrition, then it should at least be offered in schools – especially while children are still young. if a teacher explains to, say, a 6 year-old why fast food is unhealthy, there is a good chance that when mommy or daddy says “let’s get mcdonald’s” the kid will relay the information learned in school. that’s what kids do when they learn new things; they share their knowledge. it’s exciting for them.
Our society continues to coddle the weak-minded and undisciplined. As a result, nature’s rule of only the fittest surviving has been altered. We are passing on the genes of individuals who would have perished in leaner, less comfortable times.
Are we devolving?
We owe it to the human race to allow those with uncontrolable appetites, poor choices and lack of enthusiasm to follow their chosen path of least resistance…
We are all in control of our choices. We are given the freedom to choose. The healthy choices are everywhere we look.
Everyone I know who is out of shape knows exactly what they should do, they simply choose not to do so.
California is OK, by ranking. Still too many overweight/obese:
1) 2007: 36/50, obesity 23.3%, overweight/obesity 59%
2) 2008: 41/50, no overweight, obese rankings
Link:
http://calorielab.com/news/2008/07/02/fattest-states-2008/
Not good: globally, the US is ranked 9th fattest out of 194 countries.
Link:
http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/worlds-fattest-countries-forbeslife-cx_ls_0208worldfat_2.html
Ways for parents to encourage exercise and healthy eating in the young:
1) Limit the time the kids can spend texting, surfing the Internet, playing video games.
2) Get the kids involved in one or more sports.
3) Talk about exercise, sports, and diet to the kids.
4) Follow a sensible plan for diet and exercise as parents – the kids will eat what’s on the table. The parents will have more credibility if they’re involved in fitness, getting the kids to exercise, participate in sports.
Ways to encourage adults to exercise:
1) Some companies provide and maintain a fitness center on the premises that employees can use during the day. Treadmills, exercise machines, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, and free weights are provided. Showers, towels, and lockers are provided with the membership for a minimum annual fee. I was fortunate enough to have access to one of these for a while. There was even an aerobics class available at the fitness center, free with the membership.
2) All major hotels and resorts provide and support a fitness center – they are well maintained; new, modern equipment, bottled water and towels are provided. The apparatus is wiped off every hour or so. A trainer is there for assistance and support.
Things to do at work:
1) Take lunch to work and avoid the lunch truck.
2) Take the stairs rather than the elevator to meetings. Take the opportunity to walk whenever possible, such as back and forth from the station to the workplace taking the commuter train, something I did the last several years at work prior to retirement.
3) We had a company Olympics for several years. I competed in the martial arts division during that time. We were a small but committed bunch in the martial arts club.
Fitness fan:
Your suggestions are great, they are excellent in fact. My complaint is that people are simply lazy… 90% of the population will not adopt any of your ideas until it is almost too late and only then because their doctor ‘orders’ them to do it.
Trust me, I live in Kentucky and my state consistantly ranks in the top or bottom 10, depending on how you look at it. It’s never good…. always embarassing, frequently depressing…
Got some good comments here. About the government in our food pantry though… If people open up their pantry, most would find exactly what major food industries have told them to buy. When you go to the typical grocery store, you don’t really have much of a choice. You can search hard and find a few healthy nuggets. But for the most part, everything is commercialized and over processed. Not too mention that this same low quality food is nearly all you can find when trying to eat out at most restaurants – especially fast food.
WE THE PEOPLE, can rise up and legislate our own standards in food quality and availability. As well as new and improved fitness programs. YES, it ultimately comes down to our individual choices, but we could use as much help there as law can give us – so to speak.
As far as where to find high quality food:
Check out your local Farmers’ Market
Whole Foods also is a great store
Most stores also have a health section where you can find better alternatives AND that are not always more expensive.
Jonathan, I still feel the government should stay the heck out of my private life. I do just fine buying the foods I need to live without some socialist taxing what he or she feels is bad for me(by the way,based on what science?). It’s easy to eat healthy if you stick to the basics and avoid processed trash. Fresh meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and so on, make for a healthy uncomplicated diet, that sustains the body for a lifetime. People need to be responsible for their own choices.
Also, great post Tom (#8 and #10)
Charlie’s comment about public schools being “paid big dollars” for nutrition education is hilarious. What planet does he live on or, rather, what continent? I am a registered dietitian who has done many community service (aka free) programs for public schools most of which have, I assure you, little to no budget for nutritious foods in their cafeterias much less money and/or time for nutrition education.
I disagree with government taxing “unhealthy foods” mostly because it would be an administrative nightmare. Even we “nutrition experts” do not always agree about which foods should be on such a list since one must consider quantity, as well as, quality. The foods Charlie lists are good but if he eats say, an entire jar of peanuts in one sitting, not so great and my tax dollars may well be paying for his obesity related illnesses some day.
But, Charlie, let me break it to you gently – the study of nutrition is very scientific. Ever heard of courses like chemistry, biochemistry, physiology? You can find them in undergraduate and graduate studies of many fine universities. Might want to check one out some day.