Obesity stats...

[trevor]

here's a link to some obesity stats. The U.S. is bad as we all know but LOOK, a Scandinavian country -- Denmark, is much worse than the U.S. My apologies for the post in the "workout at the gym" thread where I grouped all of the Scandinavian countries together. But hey, one out of 3 is a pretty good batting average in baseball!
T.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/mor_obe_cap

 

[Carol_is_fit]

We're fifth!! OUCH !!!!!!!!!! VERY interesting link, Trevor! Thanks for posting it!!

Carol

 

[gelfling]

And interestingly enough the United Kingdom is 42nd on the list ;-)

Thanks for going to the trouble to find these stats, Trevor

ATB,
- Lisa

 

[trevor]

Okay Lisa! LOL! Hats off to the UK. I give credit where it's due and you all are beating us badly in that area.
T.

 

[gelfling]

*hugs*

 

[Jcrew3082]

Wow! Austria, birthplace of Arnold Schwarzenegger, #1! I never would've guessed.

Thanks Trevor.

 

[Debra L]

Interesting! Thanks for the link Trevor.

Not to split hairs, but are obesity mortality rates highly correlated to incidence of obesity? Seems health care, welfare, etc might have an impact between the two.

I was shocked to see New Zealand at number 4, above the U.S. I don't recall seeing many overweight Kiwis, much less obese ones, when I visited. DH & I were quite impressed with the families and the elderly that we would meet on every trail. Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) is hardly representative of the Kiwi physique.

No matter who our fat company is, we Americans have some serious health issues to address. The number of overweight childen I see every day is alarming. It's cultural, it's lifestyle, it's lack of education, it's poor infrastructure & urban planning, - it's complex.


Debra

 

[trevor]

Hey Debra!
Not real sure how these stats were compiled. When I get more time I can try to find out. You bring up very valid points.
How's the biking going?
T.

 

[Maximus]

This might be slightly o/t, but I was very disappointed to hear the federal government declared obesity a disease 2 weeks ago. So now our health insurance rates are going to go up b/c so many Americans are too lazy to exersize & lack the self control to stop shoving food down their pie holes.

That's not to say I'm unsympathetic to those who have real problems, i.e. people who are obese due to ancillary health issues. But that's a very small percentage of fat Americans.

So instead of making us pay for fat people's health problems, why not give an incentive to people to stay thin? Like, shouldn't we all get a tax break or something for having the drive & discipline to be fit & healthy? Jeez.

 

[kathryn]

I have the same questions as Debra:
I thought that the US recently leaped to the front of the line as far as percentage of population that is obese. I think these stats don't necessarily correlate with the incidence of obesity, but show that in spite of us being the fattest country in the world, our health care is able to keep people alive in spite of their obesity? Or maybe it has to do with how deaths are recorded. Perhaps other countries note obesity as a contributing factor and we don't ? Or are these stats gathered from the weight that is indicated on the birth certificate?

 

[candi]

That's the problem I have with Statistics. I've learned from what I do for a living that if you're using empirical data to make determinations, you need to be sure of the parameters. This looks like mortality rates due to obesity, not necessarily the countries with the most obese populations. And, how does one determine that the deaths were "due to obesity"...?

Edited to say I am always skeptical of stats unless I know exactly what they're reportingx(

 

[gelfling]

A medical insurer in the UK has just said it will give people discounts on their health insurance if they go to the gym. Unfortunately it won't include anyone who works out ouside of the home.. cyclists, runners, walkers, mountineers, climbers, VFers etc. but it is a step in the right direction. Here's the story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3534432.stm

ATB,
- Lisa

 

[Maximus]

There are some insurers/employers in the US that do that. My sister's employer gets a discount for employees who belong to health clubs. So everytime she goes she has to have someone who works there sign this little card to prove she's actually been there.

 

[trevor]

I have a problem with people being rewarded for something they should be doing anyway. If you workout, your reward is good health.
It's like in the manufacturing sector you often here of people being given cash rewards for attending safety meetings or going a certain amount of time without having a lost time accident. To me, your reward for being safe is that you get to go home at the end of a given day. People need to stop expecting compensation for doing things that, to me, are their responsibility to be doing in the first place.
As for the stats above,yeah, you can pretty much put numbers in any shape or form that you want and make them say anything really. These links were just quick examples I found where the US is not as bad as a poster in another thread had indicated. And I am sure you can find out how these were compiled by perusing the site. I just don't have time at this point to do that.
T.

 

[Maximus]

I'm not talking about a "reward" per say, but more of an incentive. I completely agree that living a healthy lifestyle has its own rewards. My problem is paying out of my pocket for people who live an unhealthy lifestyle. Thought a possible solution might be giving them an incentive to maybe go on a diet (or, as my ex-hubby used to put it, a "food intake modification program") and exersize a little more. The tax break was just something I threw out there--maybe it could be a discount on health club membership, coupons to a health food store, whatever.

It just really bugs me that an already costly industry is going to cost us even more b/c so many people lack discipline & self control.

 

[Soosan]

I agree with you, Trevor, about not rewarding people for things that are intrinsicly rewarding. That's why I never give my children money for bringing home good report cards, or bribe them in order that they behave well, etc. I see tons of parents doing just that and I think it's a mistake our generation is making that will set us up in the future for even more of the "every good thing I do must be rewarded" mentality. And this mentality is closely linked to the rampant blamelessness (e.g., suing McDonald's for hot coffee, suing food manufacturers for one's obesity problem, etc) in our society.

 

[Maximus]

But what about these people who are costing me.......and you........money b/c they're overweight? Obviously the rewards of being healthy and fit doesn't do it for them. So, if no incentive, what would you guys suggest so that we don't have to pay for the negative health effects of obesity?

 

[kathryn]

Unfortunately, those of us who are fit and have a healthy lifestyle have to pay for the negative health effects of obesity as well as smoking.

While obesity is an epidemic, I certainly don't consider it a disease, except in a very small percentage of overweight people (5%?) who are overweight (600 pounds, 1000 pounds) because of some physical anomaly.

 

[trevor]

Maximus, I know what you are saying but things like coupons and discounts cost the companies who offer them money. So I picture the difference would be made up by jacking club membership prices to people like me who have worked out forever.
T.

 

[Aquajock]

Regarding getting rewarded for doing the right thing: in an ideal world we wouldn't need to contemplate that because the reward would BE doing the right thing. Ideally we should expect alcoholics to have the wherewithal to quit drinking and pay for whatever treatment they need themselves; realistically health insurance is used to cover the costs of some treatment as a lower cost investment to save the higher costs of the ill social effects of alcoholism down the road. Ours is far from an ideal world, so if carrots as well as sticks actually get more people to take responsibility for their health vis a vis exercise and proper nutrition, I say let's at least look at them.

I am adamantly opposed, however, to classifying obesity as a disease. I think it renders the true meaning of "disease" meaningless, and it absolves people of their responsibility to acknowledge how they became obese.

Re current incentives: my employer (a county authority) has a really, REALLY neat one: the Sick Leave for Fitness policy. You can use the cash value of your accrued sick leave hours (calculated against your currently hourly wage) to be reimbursed for various fitness-related expenses, including gym memberships, fitness equipment (INCLUDING CATHE DVD'S), etc. In fact, I have been able to utilize this benefit to be reimbursed for the aerobics music CD's I buy routinely for my aqua classes. And, since it comes out of my hide and I'm taxed on it, the public really doesn't get dinged for it. Cool, huh?

a-Jock