We know that obesity is a serious issue and it’s something that we work towards fighting everyday. However, recent studies have found that statewide initiatives aren’t hitting their goal.
According to the Center for Disease Control, no state met the country’s Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity to 15 percent.
The goals of Healthy People 2010 are two fold:
- To help individuals of all ages increase life expectancy and improve their quality of life.
- To eliminate health disparities among different segments of the population.
The report titled “State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults – United States, 2009” points out that people who are obese incurred $1,429 per person extra in medical costs compared to people of normal weight, and the nation’s total medical costs of obesity were $147 billion in 2008.
The report also released recommendations on how to reverse the epidemic.
All people can:
- Eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer foods high in fat and sugar.
- Drink more water instead of sugary drinks.
- Be more physically active.
- Watch less television.
- Support breastfeeding.
- Promote policies and programs at school, at work and in the community that make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Communities can:
- Create and maintain safe neighborhoods for physical activity and improve access to parks and playgrounds.
- Advocate for quality physical education in schools and childcare facilities.
- Encourage breastfeeding through peer-to-peer support programs.
State and local health departments can:
- Provide supermarkets and farmers’ markets with incentives to establish their businesses in low-income areas and to offer healthy foods.
- Expand programs that bring local fruits and vegetables to schools, businesses and communities.
- Support hospital programs that encourage breastfeeding.
- Adopt policies that promote bicycling and public transportation.
