More Programs and Policies, Please

I ate a little ice cream before bedtime, so this post is particularly important. Boy do I feel guilty now. The following 'news' also comes on a day when I was talking to a coworker about eating habits. We concluded that many of us Americans are so used to excess when eating, that it seems normal. Maybe it's time for more self-control and exercise. Either that or more policies.

This is found at jhsph.edu.

"Most adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030, with related health care spending projected to be as much as $956.9 billion, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health..."

"National survey data show that the prevalence of overweight and obese adults in the U.S. has increased steadily over the past three decades,” said Youfa Wang, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and associate professor with the Bloomberg School’s Center for Human Nutrition. “If these trends continue, more than 86 percent of adults will be overweight or obese by 2030 with approximately 96 percent of non-Hispanic black women and 91 percent of Mexican-American men affected. This would result in 1 of every 6 health care dollars spent in total direct health care costs paying for overweight and obesity-related costs."

"The authors warned that obesity has become a public health crisis in the U.S. Timely, dramatic and effective development and implementation of corrective programs and policies are needed to avoid the otherwise inevitable health and societal consequences implied by their projections."