All U.S. Adults Could Be Overweight In 40 Years
A study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has determined that if the trends of the past three decades continue, it’s possible that all American adults could be overweight in 40 years.
Dr. Lan Liang of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and her colleagues note that some groups of U.S. adults already have alarmingly high rates of overweight and obesity. For example, 78% of African-American women are currently overweight or obese.
These findings are based on government survey data collected between the 1970s and 2004. The researchers estimate that 86% of American adults will be overweight by 2030, with an obesity rate of 51%. By 2048, all U.S. adults could be at lease mildly overweight.
The researchers do note that these findings are based on the assumption that the trends of the past few decades will continue without any hindrance.
They also estimate that healthcare costs directly related to excess pounds will double each decade, reaching $957 billion in 2030, which would account for one of every six healthcare dollars spent in the U.S.
Wow! This is quite alarming. The article also recommends that social changes, such as more pedestrian-friendly communities, are necessary. I would agree with them, but it seems like more is necessary. Unfortunately, it appears that America has dug itself into a very large hole. It will be difficult to climb out of it, but I think that most people want to be healthy and as things get out of hand there will be increased efforts to reverse these trends.
Reference: MedLine Plus
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Not so fast… a lot of people still eat right and exercise. No substitute for that!
HTNGC’s last blog post..Non-Stick Frying Pans
To be fair, whilst this article deals with the USA, I think the UK won’t be far behind the way things are going.
What we really need to avert this issue is a complete change of focus from the play hard/work hard to something more natural and organic.
I think too many people put too much focus on a job – and then suffer from the stress, long hours, lack of energy after work for any exercise etc. With the credit crunch this is only likely to get worse.
Instead, we need to be a little more like the French – more laid back and willing to enjoy ourselves. We need to put our jobs second and focus instead on the things we actually love to do – the sports and exercise we like and so on.
Also, if you’re not constantly tired after a long day at work you’re less likely to stuff yourself with carb-rich junk foods. Suddenly preparing healthy, delicious food becomes a pleasure rather than a chore.
Makes you think, doesn’t it?
Thanks for the comments. I agree with both of you. A balanced lifestyle is very important and many people do follow this.
this is rather scary, but we are at fault. if you compare portion sizes from 40 years ago and now, no wonder we’re getting bigger as a society. not to mention that kids used to play outside with their friends, and now they play with friends on-line. got to find balance and think about the future.
Luckily more and more people try to eat healthily nowadays. Most of us realize that a well balanced diet is something very important and that it’s worth to pay attention to what we eat. Maybe it won’t be so bad and we’ll somehow learn to take care of what lands on our plates before it’s too late.
more people are becoming obese these days because of too much junk food and too much sugar in snacks and fast foods. .