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Time to tackle the obesity crisis
During some of my reading this summer, I came across a couple of articles that made me believe more strongly than ever in the value of the Movin’ and Munchin’ Schools program, both for children and adults.
The first article was titled: “Nation’s Obesity Epidemic Carries Hefty Price Tag.” The article, citing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study in the journal Health Affairs, estimated that U.S. health care costs attributable to obesity were $147 billion in 2008.
The study found that an obese person has $1,429 per year more medical costs, or about 42% more than someone of normal weight.
“The medical costs attributable to obesity are almost entirely a result of costs generated from treating the diseases that obesity promotes,” said Dr. Eric Finkelstein, the study’s author. “Thus, obesity will continue to impose a significant burden on the health care system as long as the prevalence of obesity remains high.”
The study found U.S. obesity rates rose 37% between 1998 and 2006, driving an 86% increase in spending on treatments for obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.
“Obesity, and with it, diabetes are the only major health problems that are getting worse in this country, and they are getting worse rapidly,” says CDC Director Dr. Thomas Friedman. “Beyond the economic costs are the disability, the suffering, and the early deaths caused by obesity.”
The headline on the other article was “Health Issues in Childhood Often Show Up in Adulthood.” According to the article in HealthDay News, “Physical and mental health problems in childhood have lifelong consequences, which means it’s important to start health promotion and disease prevention early in life.”
The article was based on a report in the June 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. More evidence is emerging that, even though there may be a lag of many years, early health experiences can affect adult health in the form of illness and disease.
While I didn’t mean to overwhelm you with data, the numbers were too powerful not to share. And here’s one more statistic: While genetics, environment, and medical care play a role in your health, 70% of your health status is based on the lifestyle choices you make. That means we have a great deal of control of our health, and the health of our children.
What we eat and how much we exercise really does matter. That’s all the more reason to get involved in programs like Movin’ and Munchin’ Schools!
