University of Washington study says kids are too fat

Posted on February 22, 2007
Filed Under Health |

A study released today by researcher at the University of Washington finds that 25% (1 out of four) kids in grades 8, 10 and 12 are overweight or even worse obese. The obesity epidemic is continuing in the U.S. with the abundance of cheap but highly unhealthy food. It is estimated that half of the deaths in the Washington area are caused by obesity-related chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and lower respiratory disease.

Interestingly enough, it is not the wealthy who are gaining most of the weight but instead the poor. Part of the reason has to do with the fact that they can only afford the lower quality, highly processed and fatty foods. In addition, living in unsafe neighborhoods the opportunity for exercising outdoors is limited adding to people’s fitness woes.

The World Health Organization is estimating that 74% of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese landing the country in the 9th place for fattest nation. Apparently the nation of Nauru is the fattest with 94% of adults being overweight. The WHO is estimating that there are 1.6 billion overweight people in the world today making this more of a global epidemic.

The best way to fight obesity is learning a bit more about what are healthy foods and making exercise a part of our daily routine. Turn off the TV and go for a walk. Avoid eating out and instead cook for yourself. At the end of the day, fighting obesity is more about individual choice and effort than the responsibility of government or a large corporation.

Comments

Leave a Reply




Your Ad Here