Tipping the scales in the fight against obesity

Here we are, fat and getting fatter.

According to the annual “F as in Fat” report, released last week, 28 percent of Iowans are obese, nearly double the rate of obesity just 15 years ago.

Iowa's the 20th fattest state, up from 22nd, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America's Health.

If it makes you feel better, we're still down from our rank as the country's 13th most obese state a decade and a half ago.

But it probably shouldn't - make you feel better, that is. It's not that Iowans are healthier than we used to be. It's just that, as a country, we're doing that much worse (for more details about the ranking, visit http://easterniowahealth.com).

According to the new report, every state now has an adult obesity rate (that means a body mass index of 30 or greater) above 15 percent. Twenty years ago, no state did.

Seventeen states have seen their adult obesity rates double or nearly double in the past 15 years. Sixteen states saw sharp increases during this most recent reporting period alone.

Only a single state has an adult obesity rate lower than 20 percent, and even rangy Colorado (at 19.1 percent) is slowly climbing the scales.

The straining heart of the issue isn't the way We the People look in shorts - it's about an obesity epidemic that is quickly becoming a runaway public health crisis.

Seventy-five cents on every dollar spent on health care in this country is to treat chronic conditions, many of which - such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease - are closely linked to obesity.

We've known about obesity-related health risks for decades, but the problem just keeps getting worse.

According to the report, Iowa's diabetes rate has jumped to 7.4 percent from less than 5 percent in 1995. Hypertension now affects more than one Iowan in four.

We all know about the simple tools - diet, exercise and healthier lifestyle choices - to fight obesity. Now it's time to take a harder look at why that common knowledge won't stick.

It's time to look at larger forces at play here, too. Agricultural policies that essentially subsidize unhealthy food, urban “food deserts” that make it hard for families to make healthy choices, transportation systems that discourage physical activity - all play their part in our collectively expanding waistlines.

Yes, much of the fight against obesity comes down to education and personal responsibility.

But we all will pay collectively if we can't tip the scales on this isue.

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jennifer.hemmingsen@sourcemedia.net