crystallyn
03-10-2004, 12:11 PM
And another interesting article, which all you soldiers can say that you are becoming less and less of a statistic! graemlins/bcbsalute.gif
It also talks about the public service ads the federal govt. is doing about obesity...which are getting mixed reviews. (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-03-09-obesity-ads-usat_x.htm)
Obesity on track to be No. 1 killer
U.S. diet, inactivity rival tobacco as top preventable cause of death.
By Dorsey Griffith -- Bee Medical Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Poor diet and physical inactivity soon will surpass tobacco as Americans' leading cause of preventable death.
While most major preventable causes of death dropped or rose only slightly since 1990, deaths due to poor diet and physical inactivity jumped more than 30 percent in 2000, a landmark study released Tuesday said.
Deaths attributable to diet and lack of exercise rose to 400,000, or 17 percent of all deaths in the United States in 2000, just behind tobacco, which was linked to 435,000 deaths, or 18 percent of the total in 2000.
The research appeared in Tuesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"This study provides perspective on where we ought to devote our attention," said Dr. Michael McGinnis of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, author of an editorial accompanying the JAMA study.
Unlike death certificates, which may list heart attack or lung cancer as a cause of death, the new study looked deeper at the root cause, such as obesity and smoking, McGinnis said.
The findings signal more aggressive efforts are needed to prevent the diseases that cause premature death and disability, said Ali H. Mokdad, chief of the behavioral surveillance branch at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the study's lead author.
"The medical costs are increasing and we can't afford it in the United States," he said. "Prevention is the cheapest alternative. We save money. We save lives."
The study coincided with the launch of a national education campaign and obesity research strategy.
"Americans need to understand that overweight and obesity are literally killing us," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said in a prepared statement. "We need to tackle America's weight issues as aggressively as we are addressing smoking and tobacco."
Americans soon will see and hear public service announcements that use plain talk and humor to encourage small changes in daily routines that will improve their health. The campaign encourages healthier habits - walking instead of sitting along the sidelines during a child's soccer game or getting off the bus a few stops early.
One television spot features a man who finds a pair of "love handles" on a staircase, lost by someone now using the stairs instead of the elevator.
The public campaign is linked to a push for more government-sponsored research on obesity. The strategic plan includes examining both lifestyle changes and drugs or surgery to address the epidemic.
"The problem is growing so rapidly we have to be flexible and open to a variety of different approaches," said McGinnis. "There is not going to be any single fix."
The federal government will spend $400 million on obesity research this year. That's up from $378 million last year, and the Bush administration is asking for a boost to $440 million next year.
That's not enough, said UC Davis nutrition expert Judith Stern, vice president and co-founder of the American Obesity Association. The federal government spends far more on cancer, diabetes and heart disease, each often caused by obesity, she said.
"Unless we view this as an emergency the way we viewed HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), we are not going to get to first base, let alone a home run," she said.
Stern said the nation needs more research on prevention. "We don't know what works in the short term or what works in the long run," she said.
Removing soda machines from schools sounds like a good idea, but no one knows whether it works, she said. Higher vending machine prices for sodas and lower prices for bottled water might be more useful, she said.
McDonald's recent decision to drop supersized french fries and sodas from its menu is laudable, Stern added. "But it's not enough. If McDonald's really wants to help, maybe they should label their menu boards so we really know what's in the fries and how many calories they have."
Experts stress that the national battle against obesity is a job for everyone, including city planners, food producers, building designers, employers, schools and government.
The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, he said, is now offering fruits and vegetables in its cafeteria, sprucing up the stairwells with art and music and providing employees a half-hour a day in the exercise room without docking them their lunch break.
McGinnis suggested tax incentives for providing exercise opportunities for workers. Companies could redesign their offices with an eye to fitness, Stern suggested.
Doctors and health plans must play a role, too, said Dr. Richard Harr, physician leader for the Kaiser Permanente chronic conditions program in Sacramento and Roseville.
"We see a lot of disease that could be prevented just by exercise, nutrition and education," Harr said. "It doesn't have to be weight training and aerobics five days a week. It can be walking on a regular basis."
Kaiser offers classes to patients with high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar or other risk factors for chronic disease to help them change lifestyles and improve their health, he said.
For Kaiser, it's an investment.
"It may be expensive in the short term, but in the long run you decrease use of clinic and hospital services," Harr said. "If we can prevent some of the complications of diseases like diabetes, we get much farther down the road."
About the Writer
---------------------------
The Bee's Dorsey Griffith can be reached at (916) 321-1089 or dgriffith@sacbee.com.
It also talks about the public service ads the federal govt. is doing about obesity...which are getting mixed reviews. (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-03-09-obesity-ads-usat_x.htm)
Obesity on track to be No. 1 killer
U.S. diet, inactivity rival tobacco as top preventable cause of death.
By Dorsey Griffith -- Bee Medical Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Poor diet and physical inactivity soon will surpass tobacco as Americans' leading cause of preventable death.
While most major preventable causes of death dropped or rose only slightly since 1990, deaths due to poor diet and physical inactivity jumped more than 30 percent in 2000, a landmark study released Tuesday said.
Deaths attributable to diet and lack of exercise rose to 400,000, or 17 percent of all deaths in the United States in 2000, just behind tobacco, which was linked to 435,000 deaths, or 18 percent of the total in 2000.
The research appeared in Tuesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"This study provides perspective on where we ought to devote our attention," said Dr. Michael McGinnis of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, author of an editorial accompanying the JAMA study.
Unlike death certificates, which may list heart attack or lung cancer as a cause of death, the new study looked deeper at the root cause, such as obesity and smoking, McGinnis said.
The findings signal more aggressive efforts are needed to prevent the diseases that cause premature death and disability, said Ali H. Mokdad, chief of the behavioral surveillance branch at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the study's lead author.
"The medical costs are increasing and we can't afford it in the United States," he said. "Prevention is the cheapest alternative. We save money. We save lives."
The study coincided with the launch of a national education campaign and obesity research strategy.
"Americans need to understand that overweight and obesity are literally killing us," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said in a prepared statement. "We need to tackle America's weight issues as aggressively as we are addressing smoking and tobacco."
Americans soon will see and hear public service announcements that use plain talk and humor to encourage small changes in daily routines that will improve their health. The campaign encourages healthier habits - walking instead of sitting along the sidelines during a child's soccer game or getting off the bus a few stops early.
One television spot features a man who finds a pair of "love handles" on a staircase, lost by someone now using the stairs instead of the elevator.
The public campaign is linked to a push for more government-sponsored research on obesity. The strategic plan includes examining both lifestyle changes and drugs or surgery to address the epidemic.
"The problem is growing so rapidly we have to be flexible and open to a variety of different approaches," said McGinnis. "There is not going to be any single fix."
The federal government will spend $400 million on obesity research this year. That's up from $378 million last year, and the Bush administration is asking for a boost to $440 million next year.
That's not enough, said UC Davis nutrition expert Judith Stern, vice president and co-founder of the American Obesity Association. The federal government spends far more on cancer, diabetes and heart disease, each often caused by obesity, she said.
"Unless we view this as an emergency the way we viewed HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), we are not going to get to first base, let alone a home run," she said.
Stern said the nation needs more research on prevention. "We don't know what works in the short term or what works in the long run," she said.
Removing soda machines from schools sounds like a good idea, but no one knows whether it works, she said. Higher vending machine prices for sodas and lower prices for bottled water might be more useful, she said.
McDonald's recent decision to drop supersized french fries and sodas from its menu is laudable, Stern added. "But it's not enough. If McDonald's really wants to help, maybe they should label their menu boards so we really know what's in the fries and how many calories they have."
Experts stress that the national battle against obesity is a job for everyone, including city planners, food producers, building designers, employers, schools and government.
The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, he said, is now offering fruits and vegetables in its cafeteria, sprucing up the stairwells with art and music and providing employees a half-hour a day in the exercise room without docking them their lunch break.
McGinnis suggested tax incentives for providing exercise opportunities for workers. Companies could redesign their offices with an eye to fitness, Stern suggested.
Doctors and health plans must play a role, too, said Dr. Richard Harr, physician leader for the Kaiser Permanente chronic conditions program in Sacramento and Roseville.
"We see a lot of disease that could be prevented just by exercise, nutrition and education," Harr said. "It doesn't have to be weight training and aerobics five days a week. It can be walking on a regular basis."
Kaiser offers classes to patients with high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar or other risk factors for chronic disease to help them change lifestyles and improve their health, he said.
For Kaiser, it's an investment.
"It may be expensive in the short term, but in the long run you decrease use of clinic and hospital services," Harr said. "If we can prevent some of the complications of diseases like diabetes, we get much farther down the road."
About the Writer
---------------------------
The Bee's Dorsey Griffith can be reached at (916) 321-1089 or dgriffith@sacbee.com.