Obesity's big fat cost to states: $15 billion per year

[sinkingfeeling]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44241074/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

The researchers estimated how much each state spends on obesity-related medical costs each year.

The estimated costs range from $203 million in Wyoming to $15.2 billion in California. (Estimates are in 2009 dollars.)

"This study shows that the toll that obesity takes goes beyond impairing the health of individuals to imposing a major burden on the entire health care system," said study researcher Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. "Reducing the prevalence of obesity and its complications is an important priority for the nation and requires focused and constant attention."

The researchers also calculated the percentage of each state's medical costs that was due to obesity. They found obesity was responsible for at least10 percent of medical costs in Alabama, Alaska, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. The lowest percentages were in Colorado and Hawaii.

"Across states, these estimates suggest that annual medical expenditures would be between 7.0 percent and 11.0 percent lower in the absence of obesity, the researchers wrote in a paper published June 16 in the journal Obesity.

In a 2009 paper, the researchers estimated national costs attributable to obesity to be $147 billion.

[JDPriestly]

1. States should offer free memberships in nutrition, health and exercise classes

to anyone who is not managing their weight on their own.

I keep my weight down not because I look better (That has become pretty hopeless) but because I feel better. I am sorry for those among us who cannot enjoy a beautiful walk, whose knees have given out under the weight of their torsos, who can barely climb one, much less seven, flights of stairs.

They should be helped, not scolded or ridiculed. And the help should start with a physical examination that eliminates things like thyroid malfunction as the cause.

[get the red out]

2. Prevention is always less expensive

In my state overweight and obese is almost the norm at this point. Just going out running errands I see so many obese people who can barely get around, it is horribly sad. I feel so grateful that I am physically able to exercise and though we're hardly rich, we can afford healthy food. It makes me especially sad when I see young children who are obese, if nothing is done for them their lives will be shortened.

I don't know what the answer is, but prevention is always easier than cure after the fact. When I was a young girl slender was the norm. I had a great-aunt that my family considered "fat", I was looking at some old pictures last month and realized that she wouldn't even rate as plump now. I'm 47 so I'm not ancient yet so that wasn't back in the days before cars.

[JDPriestly]

3. Cars are the problem. Nobody walks further than three blocks.

[get the red out]

4. They are a problem

But the culture change since I was a kid, all fast food all the time and no walking anywhere is even bigger, IMO, though certainly helped along by cars.

When I see film footage of average people from the 70's they are dramatically thinner than people today are. But most families I knew had two cars etc... Though I remember eating out being considered way to expensive to do all the time and recreation involved physical activity, especially for young people.