Growing Waist Size in America

America is growing, not just in terms of population but also in size.  The Editorial in our local paper reads:  Obesity rates remain a national concern.  As the editorial notes, too many Americans are getting bigger.  Trust for Americas’ Health released their 2017 Obesity report.  The report found that, “far too many Americans, both adult and children, are significantly overweight to the extent that it jeopardizes their overall health and well-being.”  

States vary a lot in the number of adults who are overweight or obese.  West Virginia leads the nation as 37.7% of the adults in West Virginia are obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. The state with the lowest rate of obese adults was Colorado at 22.3%.  If you are interested in your state, visit Adult Obesity Rate by State, 2016.  Some states and their rankings are noted below:

States	% Obese Adults (BMI 30+)
District of Columbia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Colorado	20-24.9%
Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, South Dakota, Virginia	25-29.9%
Nebraska, North Dakota, Iowa, Texas, Wisconsin	30-34.9%
Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana	35%+

But there is good news.  In the last two years, five states have shown a reduction in the number of adults who are obese.  

The editorial noted that it is easier to prevent obesity than it is to lose the weight after the fact.  In college, my nutrition professor was Mrs. Osborne.  She went to a convention for a week, came back to class and said she had gained five pounds at the convention.  Lots of sitting and lots of good food to eat.  But, she then said, “and now I will lose the five pounds.  No apple pie for dessert for a while.”  Rather than let the five pounds lead to more weight gain over time, she dealt with the five pounds soon after she had gained the weight.  A few weeks later she announced to the class that she had lost those five pounds.  

The Trust for America’s Health found some disturbing facts about how teenagers eat.

•  5.2% of high school students surveyed said they had not eaten any fruit or 100% juice in the week before the survey.
• 6.7% said they had not eaten a vegetable in the week prior to the survey
• 14% did not eat breakfast

Eating healthier is a common theme among my students and people I talk to.  Yet, there is a lot of confusion about what eating healthier means.  The Dietary Guidelines have some recommendations for “eating healthier”.

• Limit calories from added sugars – soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages.  Look at the ingredients of the beverage you are drinking.  Is it 100% juice or a juice drink which can be loaded with added sugar.
• Make at least half the grains in your diet, whole grains. 

• Choose fat-free or low-fat dairy – milk, yogurt, cheese, fortified soy beverages.  Or as noted in last week’s blog, enjoy some whole milk yogurt as the saturated fat from dairy may not be bad for your health.
• Eat fruits and vegetables, especially whole fruits.  Aim for at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

• Oils – look for monounsaturated fats like Olive Oil or polyunsaturated oils like canola, corn, safflower, sunflower oil. And when choosing a cooking spray, choose one made from one of these oils.

Physical Activity – not surprising is how physically inactive many Americans are.  CDC looked at adults 50 years and older and found a low percentage of adults who are involved in physical activity.  Trust for America’s Health reports 80% of American adults do not meet the government’s national physical activity recommendations for aerobic activity and muscle strengthening.  About 45% of adults are not sufficiently active to achieve health benefits.  Not surprisingly, the states who have the most physically inactive adults are also the states with higher rates of obesity. On a positive note, more people are becoming physically active 32 states.

Physical Activity Guidelines – The Dietary Guidelines on Physical Activity states:  Regular physical activity is one of the most important things individuals can do to improve their health.   How much physical activity is recommended?

• Children 6-17 years – 60 minutes  or more of physical activity every day.  Most of this activity should be aerobic, of moderate or vigorous intensity.
• Adults 18-64 years – being active is better than inactivity.  Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity and one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic physical activity.  This can be done in 10-minute intervals throughout the week.
• Adults 65+ - If they can, follow the adult guidelines.  If not, older adults should be as physically active as their condition and abilities allow them to be.  Include a focus on balance exercises.

My daughter told me about a physical education teacher, Brian Howells, who asks all his students to go to the bookstore or a local store and buy a Fitbit to track their steps as part of his class requirement.  I was in a retail store recently and the clerk said when no customers were in the store, he walked around the store and had just finished walking 1,000 steps.   Walking 10,000 steps a day is a good goal to work towards.  If you are not at 10,000 steps a day, then work towards walking more steps than you do now.

The editorial ends by stating: “Americans will do what they want to do, but if they want to be around longer to enjoy family and friends, and endure fewer health issues as they age, avoiding obesity or dealing with obesity can be a good start.”

Sources:  Obesity rates remain a national concern, Trust for Americas’ Health, Adult Obesity Rate by State, 2016, Dietary Guidelines, Image Source:  Grains, vegetables, physical activity