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Pastimes : My House -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Original Mad Dog who wrote (2578)	10/10/2002 10:51:07 PM
From: Original Mad Dog	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 7689

U.S. obesity rates 'frightening' October 9, 2002 BY JIM RITTER HEALTH REPORTER suntimes.com Hard as it might seem to believe, Americans are getting even fatter. Studies published today are reporting: Nearly two thirds of adults now are overweight and more than 30 percent are obese. During the 1990s, the rate of overweight teenagers increased by nearly 50 percent. The prevalence of extreme obesity among adults has more than doubled, from less than 1 percent in 1990 to more than 2 percent in 2000. "It's frightening," said Dr. Robert Kushner of Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Wellness Institute. "You can't go anywhere without having food available or offered." The three studies, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers examined overweight and obesity data from two nationwide surveys, the first from 1988 to 1994 and the second from 1999 to 2000. The percentage of adults who are overweight or obese increased among both men and women and in all age groups. Among men, there were few differences among racial and ethic groups. Among women, however, African Americans had significantly higher rates than other groups. More than 80 percent of black women over age 40 are overweight, and more than half are obese. Among all black women, about 15 percent are extremely obese. Experts cite many reasons for the obesity epidemic, including: Food portions are getting larger. Fast-food meals for kids are as big as adult meals used to be. The old 6.5-ounce Coke bottle has given way to the 12-ounce can. Restaurant meals can add up to 3,000 calories. A typical supermarket now offers more than 30,000 items, and studies have found that people eat more when given more variety. Couch potatoes, who already watch too much TV, are adding more sedentary hours in front of computers and video games. Newer suburbs lack bike paths and sidewalks while many neighborhoods don't have safe parks. Fewer kids are walking to school, and many adults are loath to walk anywhere: 75 percent of all trips one mile or less are made in autos. The CDC recommends that every K-12 student attend physical education class every day, but only 32 percent of them do so. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, stroke, heart disease, arthritis and certain cancers. It causes 300,000 preventable deaths per year, second only to smoking. The health community needs to fight fat with the same zeal that it opposes smoking, said Dr. William Dietz, an author of one of the CDC studies. The anti-fat campaign already has begun: Children's Memorial Hospital is organizing a coalition of doctors, educators, park district officials and others to promote healthy diets and exercise among children. More than 50 experts are expected to attend a planning meeting today. La Rabida Children's Hospital has started a weight-loss program for seriously obese kids ages 10 to 18 who weigh an average of about 250 pounds. More than 100 kids are on the waiting list. The Chicago Park District has opened six neighborhood fitness centers with strength and cardio machines, and plans to open 12 more by next spring. The city has started a "walking school bus" program, in which small groups of students are accompanied by one or more adults while walking to and from school. Some health advocates are suggesting taxing non-diet soft drinks and restricting snack foods in schools. ********************************* Am I fat? To determine your proper weight, you need to know your "body mass index," or BMI. BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters. You can easily calculate it on the Internet by Googling "BMI calculator." A BMI under 18.5 is considered underweight, over 25 is overweight, over 30 is obese and over 40 is extremely obese. For someone 5 feet 6 inches tall, 155 pounds is overweight, 186 pounds is obese and 248 pounds is very obese. For someone 5 foot 10 inches, 174 pounds is overweight, 209 pounds is obese and 279 pounds is very obese.

To: Original Mad Dog who wrote (2578)	10/11/2002 7:55:23 AM
From: Poet	Respond to of 7689

"My mom's from Southern Tennessee and her family raised pigs," says Mr. Philips, explaining his lingering love for swine strips. In his house, he says, bacon was as much a morning ritual as toothpaste. "You'd wake up and make bacon." I always thought that phrase meant something else. :-)