Korean Job Discussion Forums

[madoka]

Maybe we need Korean-style ridicule to curb obesity?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100629/hl_hsn/obesityratesjumpin28statesreportshows

Americans are continuing to get fat, with obesity rates nudging upwards in 28 states over the past year, a new report shows.

"More than two-thirds of states now have adult obesity rates above 25 percent," Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America's Health, said during a Tuesday news conference. "Back in 1991, not that long ago, not a single state had an obesity rate above 20 percent. There's been a dramatic change in a relatively short period."

"Obesity is one of the biggest public health crises in the country," Levi added. "Rising rates of obesity over past decades is one of the major factors behind skyrocketing health care costs in the U.S., one-quarter of which are related to obesity."

Mississippi weighed in for the sixth year in a row as the fattest state, with 33.8 percent of its adults obese, while Alabama and Tennessee tied for second (31.6 percent). The other top 10, also concentrated in the south, were West Virginia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina and Michigan tying with North Carolina for 10th place (29.4 percent).

Michigan was the only state in the top 11 not in the South, an anomaly perhaps explained by the state's economy.

"Michigan certainly has been very hard hit, not just in the recent recession, but in the last decade or so," Levi explained.

And, as the report also shows, income is a major driver of the obesity epidemic. More than 35 percent of adults bringing in less than $15,000 a year were obese, vs. only 24.5 percent in the over-$50,000 income bracket.

The healthiest states in terms of weight were congregated in the Northeast and West. Colorado (19.1 percent) came in first, followed by Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, Montana and New Jersey. The District of Columbia was the only region to experience a decline in obesity rates.

In addition to geographic and economic differences, this year's report also focused on racial and ethnic disparities, finding that blacks and Latinos bear the brunt of the obesity problem. Blacks and Latinos outweighed whites in at least 40 states plus D.C.

"Just over 30 percent of African-Americans and nearly 40 percent of Latino children are overweight versus 29 percent of white children," Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and chief executive officer of PolicyLink, said during the teleconference.

As with adults, this puts them at higher risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.

Racial/ethnic differences are closely intertwined with economic inequalities.

"The link between poverty, race and obesity is undeniable," Glover Blackwell said. "For example, Mississippi, the poorest state in nation with an African-American population of more than 37 percent, has the highest obesity rate of any state and highest proportion of obese children."

Poor and minority neighborhoods lack safe streets and parks in which to exercise and many are also so-called "food deserts."

"Twenty-three million African-Americans do not have access to a grocery store within a mile of where they live, and only 8 percent of African-Americans live in a census tract with a grocery store," Glover Blackwell said.

A poll on childhood obesity included in this year's report found that 16.4 percent of children aged 10 to 17 are obese and 18.2 percent are overweight. Although the rates are troubling, the trend may have stabilized, the report said.

But the issue is at least getting on the radar, with 80 percent of Americans saying they believe "childhood obesity is a significant and growing challenge for the country."

Some glimmers of hope have also appeared on the horizon, including "three major developments at the federal level," Dr. James Marks, senior vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said during the teleconference. "This includes First Lady Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move' program; health care legislation that includes support for obesity-related projects; and many states and communities have mandated nutritional standards for school meals and snacks as well as foods sold in schools."

"In the last few years, promising programs and policies have increased exponentially, but our response as a nation has yet to fully match magnitude of problem," Levi said.

[oskinny1]

I was shocked at how many stores I saw catering just to fat people on my last trip home.

[Steve_Rogers2008]

sad thing is, Ted Turner has this scheduled as a documentary om CNN rather than as a comedy on TBS...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6mL17njt_c

[hellofaniceguy]

And what....no other country has fat people? Sure, many fat folks in the U.S., look at the population! Ratio for ration...many other countries also have fat folks!

Eat right!
Exercise daily!
And die anyway!

[chellovek]

Let's set this issue free from nationality-



Fat people are bad and immoral.

[Fox]

[AsiaESLbound]

Something is more wrong than the people simply eating too much. I'm betting it has every thing to do with eating sick animals and many other agricultural products containing growth enhancement chemicals meant to increase yield. If they use growth enhancement in farming our food, wouldn't it make humans get large too since it all goes up the food chain? Really, the food needs a serious hard look; not the people themselves. But it seems we are in denial about our cheap abundant food and few wish to talk about this fact.

Why beat ourselves up as if we are responsible for what we can't see in our food by feeling guilty of the extra pounds? Shouldn't we question the corporations and hold them responsible for harmful products?

[stilicho25]

In the current affairs section, someone mentioned the book good calories, bad calories, and after checking it out, I have used it to change my own eating habits. He goes through the studies that were used to form our food pyramid, and I found his evidence compelling. he was also on NPR debating a doc who ended up agreeing with him. I think its still on youtube. Anyhoo, the basic premise of his work is that switch from high protein diets to high carb diets has resulted in most of our health problems today. The body can't easily digest carbs, esp sugar, and most people are better off on a carb light diet. Its working for me.

[brickabrack]

[WadRUG'naDoo]

Sometimes the only solution to life's problems is a bucket of KFC and two pounds of potatoes fried in oil and butter.

[AsiaESLbound]

I agree brickabrac. Education is simply becoming aware of the facts. While it's everyone's responsbility to take care of themsevles, the corporations owe us all a service of honesty in bringing to market good quality organic natural products. There are over priced products advertised as organic, but it shouldn't require a white collar income and education to eat natural wholesome foods. I too wish people would study up instead of being blind sided by business while raising 5 kids in poverty. Accountability for myself? I ate a number of garbage corporate burgers and junk, but I didn't raise kids on it. I decided not to have kids as the economic environment and country system doesn't support a healthy family. If you are educated, wealthy, and dedicated to putting on the best for your family, then you can do it quiet well, but if anything is lacking such as finances or attention to detail, then it's best not to go making what will be more social problems out of poverty in need of housing, health care, and food that probably won't be available to them. I'm still wondering if I'll ever manage to secure home ownership, health care, and retirement just for myself.

I have become so aware that I buy food farmed on small farms locally old ladies sell instead of paying extra to get it from a corporate store. It's become apparent, Asia is not exempt. They too like the American meat and chemicals used in food processes. They will eat every little bitty fatty piece that becomes available. They love fatty corporate raise meat with no concerns of obesity and heart disease becoming a problem for Koreans and Chinese now. I'm betting they would spray any miracle grow chemical on small gardens too.


I avoid fried foods, big packs of corporate meat, and try to eat natural, but I know it's all mostly garbage full of pollution and junk. I wish we had more options for wild game here, but Korea doesn't have these natural resources. You can't go out and catch a big catfish or shoot a wild deer. Even the fresh wild caught ocean fish are full of toxins when you are talking off the coast of China or Louisiana. Even the 80 year old lady gardening a small living may be spraying unknown miracle grow chemicals to make those shrooms grow bigger clusters to sell at market.

If you eat candy bars and soda or sick animal meat and fried nutrition-less potatoes for lunch like so many hourly waged American employees do for a cheap eat, then you will probably be unhealthy by 35 to 40 years old. If you sit around a table of cigarette smokers most nights eating fatty pork pieces and downing shots, then you will probably become unhealthy and get sick. If you treat McDonalds, KFC, and Jack-in-the-Box as your main food source, then you will probably be sick after a few years of clocking in and out on it. They use sick old milk cows, rodeo bulls with cancer, and sickly pigs for their meat source. After getting educated, I'm limiting my consumption and this also includes the Taco Bell. Quizno's is delicious nutritious over priced food, but the meat is a mystery no one wants to admit the truths about.

Mystery meat, additive fillers, and chemicals are the norm. It takes a hard core educated vegan to avert this disaster and that's not fair to the average majority just trying to put food on their table for their family.

I'm betting if we fixed our food, we'd be doing a service to national health care and our quality of living. Why isn't this issue publicly broached and addressed? You are what you eat.

[Goon-Yang]

[Steve_Rogers2008]

[rollo]

this isnt news. What really disgust me is Ijust read about something called fat pride and gainer blogs where people are trying to get huge and are starting human rights campaigns for these gross lazy slugs. It really bothers me in a visceral way to see the morbidly obese. what is wrong with these people. I will get flamed and maybe banned, but these are not people worthy of some special treatment , they are not an ethnic group or race, this is self inflicted. God it is just repulsive. Main reason that I dont really like the U.s. anymore is these blobs waddling around.

[conrad2]

I think its a badge of honor for US society. The USA is so successful that even its poorest citizens have the means to eat themselves into obesity. Pretty impressive.