Physicians Speak Out on Obesity
Obesity is one of today's leading public health issues, with more than half of all Americans considered overweight or obese.
In a recent study by Epocrates, over 500 physicians shared their opinions on the severity of the crisis, contributing factors, proposed solutions and health risks caused by the “most severe public health issue” facing America.
We encourage you to view the survey results and share your opinions below.
View the survey results »
Which of the following public health issues do you consider “extremely severe” or “severe?”
| Obesity | Chronic disease | Smoking | Uninsured population | AIDS | Malnutrition | Bird flu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale in percentage of respondents: 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% | ||||||
| 94% | 93% | 90% | 62% | 53% | 21% | 17% |
How Severe is the Obesity Crisis?
- Physicians rank obesity as the most important public health issue, followed by chronic disease, smoking, uninsured population and AIDS
- Bird flu and malnutrition were not viewed as severe public health issues
Approximately what percent of your patients do you consider to be clinically overweight?
What Percentage of Americans are Overweight?
- More than half of physicians believe at least 50% of their patients are clinically overweight
- Nearly 90% of physicians believe this percentage has increased in the last five years
- The American Obesity Association (www.obesity.org) reports 65% of U.S. adults are overweight and 31% are obese
Note: None selected below 10%
For the patients that you consider overweight, please estimate the percent with whom you have discussed weight loss?
Are Physicians Discussing Weight Loss?
- Overall, physicians are likely to discuss weight loss with at least 30% of their overweight patients
Approximately, what percent of your colleagues do you consider to be clinically overweight?
Are Physicians Obese Too?
- Obesity also appears to be an issue among physicians
- Eighty-eight percent of physicians believe at least 30% of their colleagues are overweight
Who do you believe is primarily responsible for
causing and solving the obesity crisis?
| Individuals | Food industry | Family | Government | Physician | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cause | Solution | Cause | Solution | Cause | Solution | Cause | Solution | Cause | Solution |
| Scale in percentage of respondents: 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% | |||||||||
| 51% | 44% | 29% | 6% | 9% | 11% | 1% | 15% | 0% | 19% |
Who is Responsible for the Obesity Crisis?
- Overall, physicians primarily view individuals as responsible for obesity; However the food industry was also viewed as a key contributor
- Nearly 20% of physicians view their profession as responsible for helping to address the obesity issue
- While not viewed as responsible for causing the obesity crisis, physicians see a role for government in addressing the issue
Note: “Other” responses omitted
What factors do you believe help motivate obese adults to make lifestyle changes to improve their health?
| Education | Fear of long-term health risks | Physician consultation | Societal pressures | Family intervention | Fear of death | New medication therapies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale in percentage of respondents: 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% | ||||||
| 69% | 68% | 64% | 58% | 45% | 44% | 30% |
What Will Drive Lifestyle Changes?
- Physicians view education and fear of long term health risks as factors which will drive lifestyle changes
- New medications are not viewed as a powerful motivator
Note: participants may select all that apply; includes responses above 10%
Which of the following initiatives do you believe will have a significant impact on addressing obesity?
| Banning soda machines in schools | Eliminating fast foods in schools | Educating lower income families about nutrition | Higher health insurance premiums for overweight adults | TV ads about better nutrition | Portion control “snack packs” | Banning transfats in all foods | Minority focused obesity campaigns | Banning transfats in restaurants | Gastric bypass or laproscopic surgery | TV shows (e.g. Biggest loser) | Movies (e.g. Super Size Me) | New OTC drug Alli |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale in percentage of respondents: 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% | ||||||||||||
| 36% | 33% | 25% | 20% | 19% | 13% | 11% | 9% | 8% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 3% |
What Initiatives Will Have the Most Impact on Reducing Obesity?
- Physicians rated school focused initiatives as having the highest potential impact
- Physicians are least optimistic about the impact of new OTC drug Alli in reducing obesity
Note: includes responses above 10%
Which factors do you believe contribute the most to obesity?
| Lack of physicial activity | Portion size | Poor nutrition knowledge | Genetics | High-fructose corn syrup | Stress level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale in percentage of respondents: 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% | ||||||
| 83% | 59% | 20% | 13% | 7% | 7% | |
What are the Leading Causes of Obesity?
- Physicians view lack of physical activity as the leading cause of obesity
- Nearly 60% of physicians view portion size as an important contributing factor to obesity
Note: participants may select two
What do you view as the best weight loss program?
| Weight Watchers | South Beach Diet | Jenny Craig | Atkins Diet | Glycemic Index | Slim-Fast | The Zone Diet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale in percentage of respondents: 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% | ||||||
| 93% | 52% | 16% | 16% | 12% | 6% | 5% |
What is the Best Weight Loss Program?
- Physicians rated Weight Watchers and South Beach Diet as the best weight loss programs available (www.weightwatchers.com and www.SouthBeachDiet.com)
Note: participants may select two
Which of the following do you believe to be a health risk for clinically overweight children?
| Increase in type 2 diabetes | More likely to be an obese adult | High cholesterol & blood pressure | Increase in sleep apnea | High incidence of orthopedic problems | High incidence of liver disease | High incidence of asthma |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale in percentage of respondents: 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% | ||||||
| 94% | 90% | 78% | 65% | 57% | 29% | 23% |
What are the Most Recognized Childhood Obesity Health Risks?
- The majority of physicians were aware of increased health risks such as type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol/blood pressure
- However, many physicians were not aware of the increased risk of liver disease and asthma among obese children
Note: participants may select all that apply
Notes: Obesity Survey Background
Survey includes 580 Epocrates physicians comprising of Primary care physicians, Endocrinologists and Cardiologists.
- Primary working regions:
- 15% Rural
- 48% Suburban
- 37% Urban
- Primary clinical setting:
- 51% Group practice
- 12% Solo practice
- 12% Academic center
- 12% Outpatient clinic
- 11% Hospital
Thank you for viewing the results of our obesity survey
We invite you to share your thoughts on the topic and view the opinions of your colleagues in the discussion below.
- What have you found are the best ways to address the obesity issue with your patients?
- What initiatives have the most chance of helping to reduce the obesity rate?
We look forward to sharing additional insight from Epocrates users with you in the future.
The Epocrates Team
Rate this survey (click on stars below):
(148 votes, average: 4.08 out of 5)
Loading ...
(148 votes, average: 4.08 out of 5) Loading ...
We encourage you to 
share your opinions
and 
tell a friend
about this survey.
View the top 40 drugs
narfzlgxh wvszhrxui hrbjfdgq ljnokw imsfvzkx zulsfbnac lqncsefj
This comment is offensive!qygte rasp qlgjzx htouxjvs zwbx ytkwcvsg dranquz
This comment is offensive!Obesity, as some in the above commentary have noted, is a problem that has many factors involved in it’s development and continuation. There has been a lot of research in the last 5 to 10 years which points to the fact that for many, obesity is a phenotype which gets switched on to a functioning genotype by lifestyle factors. Once that genotype is operating, losing weight and maintaining weight loss is extremely difficult because of abnormal hormonal signals from fat cells, the stomach and other areas along with a down regulation of response to these hormones in the hypothalamus. Obesity is a disease. Yes, those of us who are obese need to decrease our intake and increase our exercise, but the response to these actions is never going to be as great as it is for those who do not have the obesity genotype switched on.
This comment is offensive!In addition, there are some people who do not have the phenotype in their genetic material and will never have to worry about having an activated obesity phenotype.
Obesity is a big problem in the USA. The main problem is the lack of want to cook inside the house. There are McDonalds commercial on television every other commercial break, coaxing people to leave their homes and get food instantly at a fast food resturaunt. McDonalds Served extremely fatty foods, even though they claim to be getting better. The reason they are claiming to be getting better is because they added salads and “healthy” foods to their menu. This is true. They have in fact added a few healthy items to the menu. There is only one problem… Nearly every obese person will CHOOSE the fatty foods over the healthy foods. And even if they DO choose the healthy food, they will have a different food with it that is extremely fatty. Or, they will have so much of the food that it will cause extra fat. Americans need to stop, and actually pay attention to what they’re doing. Go outside, run. Then all the overweight kids say, “I can’t run! It hurts! I’m too fat to run, the fat makes me heavier, which makes it harder for me to run!”… Here’s the catch… I am a runner… IT HURTS FOR EVERYONE!! Running causes physical pain. A fact. GET OVER IT. If you run MORE, it won’t hurt as much, and some of that fat will go away! I don’t understand all these people who say they “barely have anything” and they gain lots of weight. This is simply implausible. I am in fact underweight, and have been for most of my life. I don’t understand HOW you gain so much weight.. I actually wish I could, I weigh very, very little. I actually diet to GAIN weight, and I can’t. America needs to get their act together. Soon. Obesity causes more than 300,000 deaths every year. This is a huge problem. Get on the ball, USA.
This comment is offensive!Does anyone know if laproscopic lap band surgery can be performed if I continue to take Plavix and 325mg aspirin as my cardioogist instructed? I had a stent successfully put in my right corronary artery in April of 2006. I have no other risk factors as my BP is typically around 120/70 and I have no indications of diabetes.
Thanks for any insights.
This comment is offensive!My wife Dorothy Cleveland Grupe submitted her comments earlier in this forum. My youth was similar to my wife’s in dealing with weight issues. At age 11 I weighed 190 pounds. I have yo-yo’d for years. Until my doctor gave me the bad news in 2005 that I had become diabetic (7.5) and my BP was 165/105. At that time I weighted 307 pounds. Since 2005 I have changed my eating habits, taking out “empty” carbs, increasing protein and taking up a consistent exercise program including resistance training. I was ADDICTED to food. It was my emotional friend and release valve. I am now 223. I have slowly lost over 80 pounds and am maintaining the new weight. Many have ask me how. So many in fact that I have published a book: BUILDING SAND CASTLES - a Baby Boomer’s Journey Through Addictions outlining my weight loss experience. Personally, I believe permanent weight loss and maintenance is a matter of deep psychological change as with true release from any addiction. I’ll be 60 next year. My A1C is now in normal range (5.3) and with Lotrel, my BP is in healthy range (118/65). My website http://www.drgrupe.com provides more background information about my challenge with food addiction.
This comment is offensive!The obese child is unfortunately becoming the norm rather than the exception.I recall from my childhood that seeing an extremely overweight child was unusual.This is not to “glorify” the good old days as we certainly don’t want to go back to diseases like polio,measles,rheumatic fever,etc.When i was a youngster the fast food chain industry was just getting started.If you lived in certain parts of the country and in less urban areas this stuff was just not available.Now it’s practically inescapable.The co-marketing between Hollywood and the fast food chains attracts the kids and probably has had far more impact than “Joe Camel”.And while the kids are wolfing down the trinket laden meals the parents are gorging themselves on the the fries and burgers.The unashamed and blatant appeal to come in and get a burger with 3 slabs of meat,with extra slices of cheese,bacon and “special sauce” is downright disgusting.No one needs that much food and especially that type of food.And the drinks-loaded with corn syrup-32 or 64 onces worth!-doesn’t any one drink water anymore?This is a phenomonon i’ve seen in my practice over the years that seems more and more prevalent and usually accompanied by loads of excuses-e.g-”i don’t like the taste of water” or “the water has so many impurities” or the best one-”i’m allergic to water”-As a family physician i try to cover some of these areas in a “compressed” fashion but lately i’ve gotten into advising more of the ‘do’s” rather than the “don’ts”-trying to emphasize the importance of regular exercise,consumption of anti-oxidant foods and beverages and stress management.Hopefully these few words of advice will have a positive impact.
This comment is offensive!I am a board certified Family Medicine specialist extremely concerned with the obesity problem in the United States. I have dedicated the past 5 years to researching and developing a program to get people started on a healthier weight loss and anti aging lifestyle without using surgery or drugs. I have created a free diet website based on real science as well as my clinical experience and overwhelmingly I am hearing that it really works. Please visit my site and if you like it, feel free to send all of your overweight and obese patients as well as your staff and family members there. The name of the diet is commical to make it sound less severe, but check it and you’ll see it is all well founded and beneficial to the patient.
Please go to 5fingerdiet.com for the unique program full of free information on weight loss and lifestyle modification. The book called the 5 finger diet and anti-aging lifestyle will be coming out later this year and I am sure you will all be asked about it by your patients very, very soon. I have written it in a selfhelp and highly motavational format that gives the patient the tools they need to take responsibility for their weight loss and actually accomplish their weight loss goals. Please let me know what you think of it. My email can be found at the free website, 5fingerdiet.com
This comment is offensive!There are a lot of complex psychobiosocial issues surrounding obesity; however, the individual is ultimately responsible for their own health.
This comment is offensive!I think more attention should be on alcohol and give the smokers a break for awhile. (No I don’t smoke). This almost obession with smoking, while ignoring alcohol and recreational drug use by comparison is a serious error in my opinion. I have alot more patients that are seriously impacted by either their or a family member’s use of drugs and alcohol than smoking.
National health care will not become a viable reality until the for profit insurance companies are taken out of the loop. I mean, really, how many physicians or hospital administrators do you see with the income of insurance administrators? That comes from unpaid claims for work done and patient paid premiums.
Our Dr. son sent the me the link to this site. I have read page one with interest. I shall continue, after I tell our story.
The BMI chart would have called me obese. Back in a snowstorm Nov 30th I fell, tucking my knee under me in an unusual manner. I felt a pull. Since I could walk, and didn’t fancy trying to make it to emergency to sit there all day amid other snow related accidents, it wasn’t until after Christmas (still hurting) that I told our family Dr about it. EX-rays proved there is no bone damage.
Meanwhile tidying up the living room one Monday morning, I picked up a copy of Reader’s Digest. It opened at a page showing Tylenol for Arthritus. Because I do take these as required (we live on the WET end of Canada) I glanced at the article, and out popped ONE sentence. “Losing only 10 lbs takes 40 lbs pressure off the knees.
Wow! Really!?! I think I will test this!
That afternoon my husband came home from a Dr’s visit to say the Dr had told him to lose his front porch (he has a stent in his heart).
At this I told him what I had read and said, I think it is time for me to go to WW. Since I do the buying and preparing, he would be on a WW diet, like it or not.
ONE month later… Ten pounds of pressure didn’t cut it. Better, yes, but still pain, so I asked Dr. son if losing 20 lbs would take 80 lbs pressure off. He gave a too quick yes (the kind where you knew he was grinning inside) so I knew what his game was. Our Mathmaticion son spoke up and said.. Mom, I am the one to ask that question, not the Dr…. and at that he went into a detailed explanation about since we carry most of our weight above our knees it is funneled through, and yes, if I lost 20 lbs I would take 80 lbs pressure off.
TWO months later..and 80 lbs pressure off that knee I went on a day trip with our camera club that consisted of uphill, down dale, over and under trees. Nary a twinge from my knee. I was delighted.
And while I was working on this, my husband lost his front porch.
No, this is not a success story.
I am telling you this simple tale because I don’t think the “obesity” problem is as complex as some highly educated “thinkers” see it.
If my great grandparents both weighed 400 lbs as did my grand parents and parents…that says a gene problem? Well maybe… But I tend to think that “bad habit” inheritance factors in there as well. Or we can HOPE so, for the other thing they all had in common was they all died before age 50.
Children who live with, learn to.
The bricklayer, he takes two sandwhiches and 3 cookies in his lunch box, then comes home to heap a plate for his evening meal. He has three well rounded children. Why? Because the children are learning to eat what Dad does, but aren’t moving bricks all day.
Perhaps Mom is obese too. And this is where it becomes sad. She is cooking for a “high energy consumption guy”… serves big portions and all become obese, and not necessarily for the love of food. Lack of education or AWARENESS. Habits after all are something we do because it is done, not because we gave it any real serious thought.
Habitual=you car is on auto pilot to the nearest drive through where they have fancy coffee and muffins to shoot your eyes open with.
I don’t have to carry on to say that there is a habit worth finding a subsititue for.
Habit… getting up from the table to turn on the telly for the evening.. commercials being food breaks…. Definitely one we could come up with a number of healthier substitutes for..
It really doesn’t matter how many great ideas we come up with…. action hinges on the person in question becoming AWARE and WILLING to kick the less healthy habit.
And maybe it takes medics asking blunt questions. For leg problems for example….. dare one ask the patient.. “Do you want the MASK, or the CURE?
This comment is offensive!Several things jumped out at me from reading the posts here: the constellation of factors for which obesity is a red flag or symptom; the complexity of addressing that constellation of factors; the seduction & comfort of simplisitc solutions (fat people are morally deficient).
I am an ecological artist, who studies how sites become degraded and what can be done to restore systemmic change. It strikes me that obesity is the mirror of what and how we degrade our large landscapes. Questions about hormones in food, safety concerns for young children outdoors, being unable to set boundaries in an abundant society: these factors refelect a culture that prioritizes consumption and isolationism. But numerous studies in many fields clarify the depth of our limitations and interdependence. Could it be that “fat” people are the embodiment (literally) of what RD Laing once described as the designated “patient” simply being the reflection of the dynamic system’s dysfunction? The other half of “nomral people’s “Divided Self”?
I was fascinated by this site. I came across it by accident because I’m on a blog list serve for tech problems. I was curious about a post and that person’s blog led me here. I read the posts after attending a 12-step meeting (overeaters anonymous). That system proposes that internal serenity is the answer to compulsive relationships to food and body image. It is, as they say, a simple program that works if you’re honest.
This other stuff, is pretty damn complex and certainly needs to be addressed. Strikes me, reading the posts, that a way into some of that complexity is more ethical than the self-righteous condemnation of lazy fat people: like humility, self-honesty and social responsibility.
This comment is offensive!I agree the obesity seems multifactorial. Our children no longer play outside, as a kid I spent from sun up to sun down running around outside playing with my friends, now it is video games, TV, and stacks of homework. Most also have no idea what a proper portion size is or should be. I am still always suprised when I counsel a patient that a majority of their health problems could be averted by 1.getting up and moving and 2.pushing away from the table, the response I get is “just give me the pill doc”, to fix their hyperlipidemia, blood sugar or hypertension.
This comment is offensive!We have become lazy. We don’t have to leave our chairs to shop, go to movies, or even get help for yard work. The more we cut back on making people go out and do something, the less people will move to do anything. People on welfare are overweight due to not having to work to get their food. Make them work to get their cards. Monitor their weight and health. If they don’t take care of themselves, then why should we? Everyone needs to get out and do more, less video games and television, more outdoor games or walks outside. Yes, we make it easy for people to be lazy, but it’s up to you to take pride in the way you look. Eating well costs more, you need to change that.
This comment is offensive!The statement “obesity is due to ingest more calories than we consume” is a platitud. It is certainly a multifactorial condition, the lack of will is not enough to explain it, there are slim people who smoke and do other silly mistakes against their health, or at least never care about how they eat.
This comment is offensive!It is necessary to look in two areas: 1) Metabolic factors and 2) the use of hormones and some nutrients in feeding animals who are our protein sources.
Of course diet discipline and phisical exercising are necessary but the results show that they alone are insufficient.
The notion that solving obesity is as simple as counting calories and exercising is absurd. Like many growing problems in prosperous nations, obsesity is a bio-psycho-social issue. Aside from the genetic component, there are societal factors. Living with abundance, access to transportation, a blending of the line between gender roles, and the opportunity for families to have two sources of income has its benefits but also its risks.
There are more two income families, latch-key kids and a lack of supervision over what our children are eating. There is a great deal of anxiety about the safety of children in any neighborhood, so kids don’t go out and play like they used to; especially when there are so many indoor sources of entertainment like video games, television and the internet. Its also much easier to drive the kids to school than to worry about if they’re going to get there. Kids who don’t exercise and have no one to tell them “no more cookies” get fat. Unfortunately, fat kids, tend to become fat adults.
Anxiety is also fuel for the fire. Why is it that after 911 obesity skyrocketed? When people feel afraid they try to nurture themselves any way they know how. Food is a source of comfort. With so much of it available and so much anxiety people feel over crime, the “war on terror” and the day to day stressors of work and family, its no wonder obesity is becoming more of an issue.
Commutes have also gotten longer. The more time spent on the freeway (another source of stress and anxiety) is less time spent taking care of ourselves and our families. With two parents working who is cooking dinner? Especially when its so much easier to pick up a bucket of chicken or a few happy meals…or better yet, go to a restaurant. Any of these options are usually not great if we are looking for low fat, well balanced or portion control. People tend to eat what’s presented to them. We’ve been conditioned to clean our plates.
These are just some possible reasons. The bottom line is this: People don’t want to be fat. It just sort of happens and it isn’t immediate, it’s gradual. A pound here, a pound there, before they know it, the BMI is over 30. Those of us who are of normal weight can not possibly understand what goes through the mind of someone who is obese. Chastising a patient who is obese isn’t only insensitive, and unprofessional, its harmful. What patient is going to seek the care of a health care provider who sees only the obesity at an office visit when the patient has come in complaining of a sore throat?
Our job, our obligation is to help, to offer a solution, to encourage and follow up. If our own personal biases do not allow for this, then we must refer appropriately, keeping in mind that nutritional counseling, psychotherapy, exercise, and regular follow up visits in a nonjudgemental atmosphere are all key components to trying to solve this issue. Sound expensive? It is. But, as we’re all aware, the cost of treating hypertension, coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and depression, (all more common in those who are obese) is breaking the health care bank.
This comment is offensive!Nice site!
This comment is offensive!I read with interest the comments. Living and working in the UK we now have the honour of being the fattest and nmost obese nation in Europe.
This comment is offensive!Like many of the previous contributors I am of the opinion that obesity is a reflection of the wealth of our society and the easy, cheap availability of food. When I was a child, just after the last war, we ate what we were given and as we say in the UK, ’seconds’ or extra portions were almost unheard of. Since then we have seen the rise of supermarkets, imported food, which we did not have until the late 1950’s. There has been a rise in the average size of women in the UK it has increased from a size 12 to size size 16. This represents a 4 inch increase in bust size from 34 to 38 inches. Waist and hip sizes have increase too.
In men, the average waist size for the median has increased from 34 inches to 38 inches.
As a practitoner dealing primarily with musculo-skeletal problems obesity has lead to an increased occourance of hip, knee, anlle and low back arthrotic changes with an ever increasing incidence of knee and hip replacement.
Obesity is not purely an American problem but wherever there is abundant food, there will be obesity.
As I tell my patients, and I may say this as it affected my family, there were no obese inhabitants in Belsen or Aushwitz, except the guards.
In order to treat the majority of obese patients we need to re-educate them simply to eat less, leave the table hungry or to put it more simply, KEEP THEIR MOUTHS shut.
We are a prosperous nation(which is a good thing) and there are side effects to this. But, there are a couple main issues to weight.
1) We need to get aesthetics out of the issue. Many people these days get labeled as “obese” when they are very healthy. It doesn’t take much weight on an adult to be labeled as obese. And I have read a lot of responses here that are more about aesthetics than health. Not everyone is going to have that perfect, idealized body of our cultural times. And that perfect body isn’t necessarily healthy. I’ve treated many perfect body weight Bulimics that demonstrate this. If our culture were not so prosperous we would all want to be over weight and obese since it would then be the symbol of wealth. However, we are in a very prosperous culture so it is not difficult to have a little weight on a person. Due to our prosperity it is then the symbol of wealth when a person is thin, meaning they have the wealth to attend a gym and have a personal trainer and cook, etc.
2) We really just don’t have much information as to when an individual’s health is actually at risk. Most of the tools are not very accurate.
I have seen the BMI used often to label patients as obese when they are perfectly within a healthy weight range. I have also seen patients who aesthetically appeared over weight (and even obese) but were in far better health than many patients in a low weight range. I have also read many studies pointing out that it has less to do with weight and more to do with activity. As long as the person is getting certain amounts of activity they are healthy. And I have seen this evidence in practice. When a health care provider chastises a patient about their weight rather than discussing with them their health the person who is obese (though usually just over weight) will stop returning and attempt to avoid the health care system. There are several studies pointing to this as well. Even here I use the terms over weight and mean what the BMI or our aesthetic scales determine them to be. More likely than not, with research, we will find out scales are too small. And that it is more than just weight that determines health.
As far as what we eat, well, the comments about people not eating the same thing in the past is not accurate. Many of the foods consumed in history are far worse than what is being consumed now. It is that food is in abundance and cheap. Again, we are prosperous.
Bottom line, we will have no answers until aesthetics are removed from the issue and science and health only take its place.
This comment is offensive!Our culture and the “just out to make a buck” American business model coincide to make this a bigger and bigger problem. While our jobs are becoming more sedentary and time is more crunched, the American food industry produces enough calories for each and every person (including babies!) to have 6000 calories a day. Nobody needs that amount! We really do need to “grow our own!”
This comment is offensive!Obesity in America is a cultural phenomenon. A corporate culture where a large segment of the food industry is run by Tobacco CEO’s (Phillip Morris, Oscar Meyer meats, Ritz, Philadelphia Cream Cheese), where corn syrup, aspartame, processed carbs, hydorgenated oils are universal ingredients for everything. Where drug and food lobbyists have co-op the FDA, and the Fast Food Industry keeps promising “healthier choices” reminiscent of the auto industry’s 40 year-old promise of an electric car. The new food pyramid is actually 6 pyramids, and as unreadable as a Richard Powers novel.
Obesity in its weightier part is a political problem.
This comment is offensive!