A Fine State
When I first became involved in the national debate over obesity levels in this country in 1995 a great source of information was what was happening in the USA. They say that “when America catches a cold the whole world sneezes”. Well, it didn’t take too much of an imagination to work out I 1995 that when obesity levels in the USA were soaring, we would soon follow. I’ve learned a lot from my American colleagues. And key my own learning journey was a visit to Yale University and meetings with other leading experts in the States in the 1990’s. And while we here in the UK have been striving since to reduce obesity levels, so too have they. But have they succeeded? And does their current state predict our own future?
A new report by the Trust for America’s Health makes gloomy reading. The number of obese US adults rose in 16 different states last year, with a dozen states now having obesity levels above 30%. Mississippi is the fattest state at 34.4%, and Colorado is the least, but still with obesity rates of 19.8% – the only state with a level below 20%. Not one state has achieved a decrease. “Today, the state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have the highest rate in 1995” said the Trust’s chief executive, Jeff Levi. “Over the last two decades people in the US have been eating less nutritious food and more of it and at the same time activity levels have fallen.” And to reverse this trend Jeff Levi added “Will-power won’t do it alone. We’re going to have to make healthier choices easier”.
Here in the UK we’ve also seen a steady increase in obesity rates with general agreement that around 25% or 1 in 4 adults are now obese. And of course the effects of that are many and include a rapid growth in rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, mobility problems and some cancers. The past decade has seen significant steps taken at a national level to work towards reducing levels of overweight and obesity. And we must make sure they continue. But, as I repeatedly tell my patients, we can’t wait for the government to do this for us. We have to take action for ourselves. Time to stand up then, take stock, and resolve to make those choices easier for ourselves. Will-power alone will not solve the problem. We need to enlist the right kind of support. But making a decision to change some of our lifestyle habits and start making those “healthier choices” is the only way to start.
Dr Ian Campbell
A Fine State
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By Dr Ian Campbell August 2011
When I first became involved in the national debate over obesity levels in this country in 1995 a great source of information was what was happening in the USA. They say that “when America catches a cold the whole world sneezes”. Well, it didn’t take too much of an imagination to work out I 1995 that when obesity levels in the USA were soaring, we would soon follow. I’ve learned a lot from my American colleagues. And key my own learning journey was a visit to Yale University and meetings with other leading experts in the States in the 1990’s. And while we here in the UK have been striving since to reduce obesity levels, so too have they. But have they succeeded? And does their current state predict our own future?
A new report by the Trust for America’s Health makes gloomy reading. The number of obese US adults rose in 16 different states last year, with a dozen states now having obesity levels above 30%. Mississippi is the fattest state at 34.4%, and Colorado is the least, but still with obesity rates of 19.8% – the only state with a level below 20%. Not one state has achieved a decrease. “Today, the state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have the highest rate in 1995” said the Trust’s chief executive, Jeff Levi. “Over the last two decades people in the US have been eating less nutritious food and more of it and at the same time activity levels have fallen.” And to reverse this trend Jeff Levi added “Will-power won’t do it alone. We’re going to have to make healthier choices easier”.
Here in the UK we’ve also seen a steady increase in obesity rates with general agreement that around 25% or 1 in 4 adults are now obese. And of course the effects of that are many and include a rapid growth in rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, mobility problems and some cancers. The past decade has seen significant steps taken at a national level to work towards reducing levels of overweight and obesity. And we must make sure they continue. But, as I repeatedly tell my patients, we can’t wait for the government to do this for us. We have to take action for ourselves. Time to stand up then, take stock, and resolve to make those choices easier for ourselves. Will-power alone will not solve the problem. We need to enlist the right kind of support. But making a decision to change some of our lifestyle habits and start making those “healthier choices” is the only way to start.