2008 Woodie Awards
U.S. fat rate flattening
Alyssa Cashman - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
More than one-third of Americans are obese, but rates are starting to level off, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The epidemic is more prevalent in women than men; 35.3 percent of women were considered obese, while 33.3 percent of men fell into this category.
These numbers are a far cry from the government-stated Healthy People 2010 objective of a 15 percent prevalence of obesity. No age group has met this goal.
"That [goal] isn't even in the realm of possibility," said Joseph Dillon, a UI associate professor of endocrinology. "It's laughable."
Although the rates increased slightly from 2004, the CDC said it wasn't statistically significant.
Officials at the UIHC said that increased awareness in the public and private sectors may be contributing to the stabilization of obesity in America.
"Possibly, people are becoming more concerned about the statistics they've been reading," said Linda Snetselaar, a UI professor of community and behavioral health.
Obesity rates in Iowa for adults are 24.9 percent, according to the Trust for America's Health website. Iowa wasn't one of the 31 states whose levels increased last year.
"We see that there are lots of obese people, but we've never looked at the numbers," Dillon said. "We know that we are so far beyond helping everyone."
Diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, arthritis, and high cholesterol are all obesity-related issues that the UIHC is seeing more of, said Dillon, who works in the hospital's weight-management clinic.
Despite the leveling off of obesity rates, prescription rates for Type 2 diabetes drugs has skyrocketed in adolescents, a trend that is linked to increased obesity levels, according to a report released in November.
"We may see changes there, too, in children in the rate of diabetes," Snetselaar said. "That could be the next statistic we may be seeing."
As for an eventual decrease in obesity rates, officials say that it's always a possibility, but many factors are involved.
Increasing awareness in schools and planning cities around physical activity are some starting points, Dillon said.
E-mail DI reporter Alyssa Cashman at:
alyssa-cashman@uiowa.edu
The epidemic is more prevalent in women than men; 35.3 percent of women were considered obese, while 33.3 percent of men fell into this category.
These numbers are a far cry from the government-stated Healthy People 2010 objective of a 15 percent prevalence of obesity. No age group has met this goal.
"That [goal] isn't even in the realm of possibility," said Joseph Dillon, a UI associate professor of endocrinology. "It's laughable."
Although the rates increased slightly from 2004, the CDC said it wasn't statistically significant.
Officials at the UIHC said that increased awareness in the public and private sectors may be contributing to the stabilization of obesity in America.
"Possibly, people are becoming more concerned about the statistics they've been reading," said Linda Snetselaar, a UI professor of community and behavioral health.
Obesity rates in Iowa for adults are 24.9 percent, according to the Trust for America's Health website. Iowa wasn't one of the 31 states whose levels increased last year.
"We see that there are lots of obese people, but we've never looked at the numbers," Dillon said. "We know that we are so far beyond helping everyone."
Diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, arthritis, and high cholesterol are all obesity-related issues that the UIHC is seeing more of, said Dillon, who works in the hospital's weight-management clinic.
Despite the leveling off of obesity rates, prescription rates for Type 2 diabetes drugs has skyrocketed in adolescents, a trend that is linked to increased obesity levels, according to a report released in November.
"We may see changes there, too, in children in the rate of diabetes," Snetselaar said. "That could be the next statistic we may be seeing."
As for an eventual decrease in obesity rates, officials say that it's always a possibility, but many factors are involved.
Increasing awareness in schools and planning cities around physical activity are some starting points, Dillon said.
E-mail DI reporter Alyssa Cashman at:
alyssa-cashman@uiowa.edu
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