A CDC official report last month said what almost everyone must surely know: "Obesity rates in the U.S. have increased dramatically over the last 30 years, and obesity is now epidemic in the United States." This is a serious matter. Indeed, according to the CDC:
Approximately two thirds of U.S. adults and one fifth of U.S. children are obese or overweight. Being either obese or overweight increases the risk for many chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and stroke). Reversing the U.S. obesity epidemic requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach that uses policy and environmental change to transform communities into places that support and promote healthy lifestyle choices for all U.S. residents. Environmental factors (including lack of access to full-service grocery stores, increasing costs of healthy foods and the lower cost of unhealthy foods, and lack of access to safe places to play and exercise) all contribute to the increase in obesity rates by inhibiting or preventing healthy eating and active living behaviors. Recommended strategies and appropriate measurements are needed to assess the effectiveness of community initiatives to create environments that promote good nutrition and physical activity. (MMWR Vol. 58 / No. RR-7)
The truth is that obesity is a global problem throughout the developed world. For example, on the other side of the globe, Australia is facing soaring rates of diabetes type 2 and recent obesity and overweight rates were alarming to anyone concerned with health-related services.
Obesity, for whatever reason or reasons, is ultimately a self-inflicted condition. No one goes to sleep one night at normal weight and wakes up the next day obese. It takes time and repeated effort to achieve obesity and there is an obvious period of being slightly heavy perhaps, then being technically overweight (defined for adults as BMI of 25.0–29.9 and for children as at or above the 95% percentile of the sex-specific BMI for age-growth charts) before becoming obese (defined for adults as having a body mass index [BMI] >=30.0). This means there is plenty of warning time for making decisions to take corrective measures.
The reality is that many people do pay attention to the developing problem of weight gain and they do take corrective action. Sometimes repeatedly. Overall, the data show that populations are failing. Clearly while many people are quite successful at managing a healthy weight there are more people who fail. Much can be learned from this situation.
The report mentioned above is titled "Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States" and can be read in full online at this address http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5807a1.htm?s_cid=rr5807a1_e. It is encouraging to see that it reports "States and communities are responding to the obesity epidemic in the United States by working to create environments that support healthy eating and active living and by giving public health practitioners and policy makers an opportunity to learn from community-based efforts to prevent obesity."
Yes, they have the keys right. We need to create environments that support healthy eating and active living. It is also very encouraging to see acknowledgement of a need to learn from community-based efforts to prevent obesity. In this regard it was encouraging recently to find a site online that supports healthy weight loss. This is so very important because we know that many companies have weighed into the so-called weight-loss industry with countless products and approaches that are quite unhealthy. These are worse than useless, they are quite dangerous, as they contribute the the cyclical failure experience that only worsens the condition.
The site is called Healthy Weight Loss Made Easy. It is noteworthy for an emphasis on both healthy eating and active living. It is supporting a global (English-speaking) online community in their efforts to prevent obesity and is therefore perfectly in line with the recommendations of the CDC, so do take a look. It will provide welcome relief to those who have found other approaches to be harsh or abusive. This site exudes warmth and acceptance. It points the way and encourages rather than demands. It clearly indicates the direction for healthy eating and exercise in a quite gentle manner.
Hopefully we will see a growing trend towards supporting people to do the right things, enabling them to increasingly enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The focus and efforts of the CDC and positive sites like Healthy Weight Loss Made Easy can only help.