Lumbering bellies

I remember that every now and then-maybe every month or two it seemed-local news outlets in Atlanta would run a story on Americans' rising levels of obesity. Invariably there would be some focus on the South, with our love of fatty cuisine and leisurely lifestyles. Of course it would all be accompanied by the obligatory camera shots of people's bellies lumbering down some busy street. Americans' obesity has also provided reliable fodder for late-night comedians and helped shape some global perceptions about us.

Although some make light of the situation, many health officials worry about the long-term economic and health effects of America's high incidence of overweight and obesity-particularly the incidence in children. Not surprisingly, with higher availability of empty calories and more sedentary entertainment options such as the Internet, video games, and more diverse television options, the incidence of overweight among children rose rather dramatically between 1971 and 2004 according to CDC statistics. Among children aged 2-5 the percentage of overweight increased from 5 percent to 13.9 percent. For those 6-11 years of age it rose from 4 percent to 18.8 percent. Finally, among adolescents 12-19 years old, the figure went from 6.1 percent to 17.4 percent. Naturally this puts children at a higher risk for weight-related health problems like type II diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and even some types of cancer.

Perhaps the most striking element of this "epidemic" (as the American Obesity Association calls it) is that it is not evenly distributed across the population. According to the American Obesity Association's figures, which cover 1991 to 2001, education (and one could assume income) is an important factor as well as region and race. Their figures show that people with less than a high school education fare worse along with people in the South (North Carolina reported in 2001 that 21.4 percent of the state's adults were obese). Native Americans exhibit the highest incidence of obesity with figures in some places as high as 80 percent, and they are followed by blacks and Mexican Americans. The trends hold for children.

A recent article in Time magazine cited some of these trends and further identified that "The geography of childhood obesity is largely the geography of poverty." Essentially it indicated that in poor urban areas and in rural areas many people lack significant access to healthy foods, and often resort to cheaper, processed food from convenience stores. In rural areas, the situation was not said to be much better, as many people must drive "miles and miles" to find a store with fresh produce or whole grains.

Meanwhile outdoor physical activities are discouraged (or at best not encouraged) in both environments. In both poor urban areas and rural areas, the infrastructure for recreation is generally lacking, with few viable parks and playgrounds, and danger or distance often precludes regular walking to school or to other places of interest.

I think it would be difficult to overestimate the gravity of epidemic childhood overweight and obesity. The effect on children's health alone can be staggering, given that it affects such a large portion of the population. Additionally, the economic effects of providing healthcare to them as children-and later as adults-is likely to be enormous, especially as people continually struggle to pay for healthcare. Finally, given that the poorest children in society are at the greatest risk, we can potentially harden the barriers to social advancement that children from poor and struggling communities already face.

It seems that schools may be the best settings for addressing this issue. In many states and school systems, efforts have begun to remove junk food and empty calories from lunch menus and vending machines, while some have even increased the time allotted for Physical Education. All over the country states and systems are exploring ways to help children lead healthier lives. In my opinion, this is the type of effort that it will take to seriously address the problem, but it needs to reach a national scale to affect real, widespread change. It would be nice to hear the presidential candidates take a moment to address it, but I guess until then the local news could get a few shots of kids' bellies lumbering on the playground every now and then.

Ade Sawyer is a Trinity junior. His column will run biweekly this Fall.