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One question that I frequently get is why are so many people
overweight? This can be summed up quite simply, we eat too much and move too
little. Over the last 150 years advances in technology, industrialization, and
automation have decreased the need for physical work, allowed a greater amount
of leisure time and at the same time increased food availability. In one way
these advances are positive, however there have been negative impacts on the
population’s health. Obesity and overweight in both children and adults has
become a global epidemic in industrialized countries and some developing
nations. The prevalence of obesity is as high as 50% in some nations around the
world. Recent data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination survey
showed that 30.5% of US adults are obese and 64.5% of the adult population is
overweight. National surveys in the US have shown that the prevalence of
childhood obesity has more than doubled since the early 1960s. These increases
in childhood obesity may lead to far greater numbers of adult obesity in the future.
If you are
not overweight or obese this may not seem much of a problem for you. However,
when you consider the public health concern, we can see that obesity is a problem
for everyone, not just our neighbors. Approximately 10% of
medical spending in the U.S. is due to obesity related issues. In fact people
who are obese spend almost 1,500 more each year in health care. And obese
people on Medicare cost an average of $1,700 more to treat than their normal
weight counterparts.-- Obesity in the United States now carries the hefty price
tag of $147 billion per year in direct medical costs. Eric Finkelstein,
director, RTI Public Health Economics Program in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
said, "For
people on Medicare, average expenses for a normal-weight person average about
$4,700 a year, while costs for an obese person range about $6,400 annually,
Finkelstein said....The biggest driver of these excess costs are prescription
drugs, Finkelstein said. Among the normal-weight population, prescription drug
costs average about $700 a year, but among those who are obese the cost rises
to about $1,300 a year, an 80 percent increase, he said. "For Medicare,
the costs of obesity are about 72 percent greater just for prescription drugs,"
Finkelstein said. An obese person on Medicare is going to pay $1,400 in drug
costs more a year than a normal-weight person, he said.
- Percent of noninstitutionalized adults age 20 years and over who are overweight or obese: 67% (2005-2006)
- Percent of noninstitutionalized adults age 20 years and over who are obese: 34% (2005-2006)
- Percent of adolescents age 12-19 years who are overweight: 18% (2005-2006)
- Percent of children age 6-11 years who are overweight: 15% (2005-2006)
- Percent of children age 2-5 years who are overweight: 11% (2005-2006)
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