Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
The latest report by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that Americans will only get fatter by 2030.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported earlier this year that 35.7 percent of adults and 16.9 percent of children are obese, adding continued weight to the growing problem of U.S. obesity.
The latest report entitled “F as in Fat” used a model of population and other trends to determine that unless Americans change their unhealthy habits, half of U.S. adults will be obese.
The report projects that obesity rates will be at least 44 percent in every state and over 60 percent in 13 states by 2030.
Researchers from the organization said that due to the rising obesity rate by then, America will also be facing more health problems such as type 2 diabetes and endometrial cancer.
The authors project that as many as 7.9 million new cases of diabetes will be diagnosed per year, compared to 1.9 million new cases in recent years. Also, there could be as many as 6.8 million new cases of chronic heart disease and stroke every year, compared with 1.3 million new cases per year now.
A previous study published earlier this year in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine backs up the recent projections. That study found that by 2030, 42 percent of U.S. adults could be obese.
“We’re at a turning point where if we don’t do something now to mitigate these trends, the cost in human health and healthcare spending will be enormous,” Jeffrey Levi of George Washington University and the executive director of Trust for America’s Health told Reuters.
Many states in the “F as in Fat” report are projected to be more obese than others, which is due to the consideration of current state-by-state statistics.
In 2011, 12 states had an adult-obesity rate above 30 percent, with Mississippi grabbing the highest total at 34.9 percent. Colorado snagged the lowest rating at 20.7 percent.
The new report projects that by 2030, 66.7 percent of Mississippi’s population will be obese, as will 44.8 percent of Colorado’s population.
New Jersey would be facing the largest increase in costs due to the report, as its obesity rate climbs to 48.6 percent in 2030.
Some of the higher obesity-ridden states in 2030 were not as easy to predict as thought. A surprising add to the list of states with the highest obesity rate is Delaware. Currently, Delaware is in the middle of the pack when considering obesity rates, but by 2030, the authors predict it will have a rate nearly as high as Mississippi.
Not all is lost, because the report suggests some ways we can act now to prevent the U.S. from turning into a fat joke.
The report recommends adding some policies like increasing physical activity in schools and putting new standards for school meals into place in order to try and curb obesity rates from climbing.
A CDC report found recently that Philadelphia’s public school students’ obesity rate has declined in recent years. The city has implemented several initiatives over the last decade, such as removing sodas and sugary drinks, and offering breakfast for free to students.
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has made an attempt to cut down on sugary drink consumption around his town as well. Last week, the city’s Board of Health gave its seal of approval to Bloomberg’s plan to ban the sale of beverages larger than 16-ounces in restaurants, movie theaters, and food carts.
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