|
twicehappy -> Government to ban over eating, obesity outstripping smoking as leading cause of death in the US. (8/7/2006 4:48:16 AM)
|
I have been following the second hand smoke thread (17 pages so far) and decided to do a little research this morning.
All the anti smokers are touting death and disease as the number one reason smoking should be banned so i went to the CDC and found some interesting facts that i posted after the article from the Daily Health Journal.
Daily Health Policy Report
Coverage & Access | Obesity Quickly Becoming No. 1 Preventable Cause of Death, Study Says
Poor eating habits and physical inactivity rank as the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States behind smoking, and if current trends continue, obesity could become the leading cause by next year, according to a CDC study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said, "Americans need to understand that overweight and obesity are literally killing us," adding, "To know that poor eating habits and inactivity are on the verge of surpassing tobacco use as the leading cause of preventable death in America should motivate all Americans to take action to protect their health." Potentially fatal obesity-related health problems include heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Ali Mokdad, chief of the behavioral surveillance branch at CDC, and colleagues examined U.S. mortality data for 2000. They then reviewed studies on the role that lifestyle factors have on the development of conditions such as diabetes or stroke to estimate how many of the deaths could be attributed to lifestyle. Finally, they compared their data with a similar study conducted using 1990 U.S. mortality data. Researchers found that about 50% of all U.S. deaths in 2000 were generally preventable. Of preventable deaths, an estimated 400,000 people died from causes related to poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles -- 33% more than in 1990, when obesity caused 300,000 deaths. In comparison, 435,000 people died from smoking or exposure to tobacco in 2000, up from 400,000 in 1990. Tobacco's share as the cause of total U.S. deaths dropped from 19% to 18.1% between 1990 and 2000. Researchers found that 16.6% of 2000's preventable deaths could be attributed to poor diet and physical inactivity, up from 14% in 1990.
Other Results
The incidence of overweight and obese U.S. residents has increased from about 60% of adults in 1990 -- including 20% who were obese -- to 64% in 2000, including about 30% who were obese. In addition, nine million children are overweight or obese. Obesity rates have increased among both men and women in all age groups, ethnic groups and educational levels. "Physical inactivity and poor diet is still on the rise. So the mortality will still go up. That's the alarming part -- the behavior is still going in the wrong direction," Mokdad said. Obesity is expected to become the leading cause of death by next year, surpassing 500,000 deaths annually to rival the number of annual deaths from cancer. Meanwhile, the toll of every other leading cause of preventable death, including alcohol, infections, accidents, guns and drugs, steadily decreased across the 10-year period, according to Mokdad.
From the CDC:
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight (BMI > 25, which includes those who are obese).
Nearly one-third of U.S. adults are obese (BMI > 30)
Less than half of U.S. adults have a healthy weight (BMI > 18.5 to < 25).[8]
The total of overweight and obesity: $117 billion, Direct cost: $61 billion,* Indirect cost: $56 billion (comparable to the economic costs of cigarette smoking)
Cost of heart disease related to overweight and obesity:
Direct cost: $8.8 billion (17 percent of the total direct cost of heart disease, independent of stroke)
Cost of osteoarthritis related to overweight and obesity:
Total cost: $21.2 billion, Direct cost: $5.3 billion, Indirect cost: $15.9 billion
Cost of hypertension (high blood pressure) related to overweight and obesity:
Direct cost: $4.1 billion (17 percent of the total cost of hypertension)
Cost of gallbladder disease related to overweight and obesity:
Total cost: $3.4 billion, Direct cost: $3.2 billion, Indirect cost: $187 million
Cost of cancer related to overweight and obesity:
Breast cancer: Total cost: $2.9 billion, Direct cost: $1.1 billion, Indirect cost: $1.8 billion
Endometrial cancer: Total cost: $933 million, Direct cost: $310 million, Indirect cost: $623 million
Colon cancer: Total cost: $3.5 billion, Direct cost: $1.3 billion, Indirect cost: $2.2 billion
Economic and social costs of a disease:
Cost attributable to obesity is approximately $100 billion. A 1998 study estimated the direct medical costs at $51.64 billion. Virtually all cost studies report only a fraction of the total costs of obesity.
Cost of lost productivity related to obesity:
The cost of lost productivity related to obesity (BMI > 30) among Americans ages 17–64 is $3.9 billion. This value considers the following annual numbers (for 1994):
Workdays lost related to obesity: 39.3 million
Physician office visits related to obesity: 62.7 million
Restricted activity days related to obesity: 239.0 million
Bed-days related to obesity: 89.5 million
TopNumber of deaths caused by a disease.
Poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, contributing factors of obesity, are responsible for between 300,00 and 587,000 deaths per year, making it the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking.
Degree of disability produced by a disease.
Obesity is associated with about 30 diseases or conditions, many of which are incapacitating. Severe obesity often produces musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, peripheral vascular and pulmonary complications that preclude gainful employment.
Degree to which a disease cuts short a normal, productive, comfortable life.
The rate of death and illness from obesity increases in proportion to excess weight. Obesity is a chronic condition that can worsen other medical conditions or disabilities.
Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis,sleep apnea and other breathing problems, and some forms of cancer (uterine, breast, colorectal, kidney, and gallbladder).
Obesity is associated withhigh blood cholsesterol, complications of pregnancy, menstrual irregularities, hirsutism, stress incontinence (urine leakage caused by weak pelvic-floor muscles), psychological disorders such as depression, and increased surgical risk.
It seems that beginning next year we are going to have to institute government controlled eating.
That's right, i said it. Big Brother is going to have to ban overweight folks from restaurants, buffets, parties, the ice cream, candy, soda, cake and cookie isles in the supermarkets.
Why? Because it is BAD for you. Seems that the CDC estimates that in the next year or two obesity is going to over take smoking as the number one cause of death and disease in the US. Not to mention all the tax money that is going to be coming out of my pockets to cover obesity related health care costs.
With the extreme rise in obesity in children the government may also have to start prosecuting parents of overweight children for child abuse.
After all it is our government's job to look out for those citizens who fail to look out for themselves, after all as one poster put it:
quote:
Laws are created like this because people apparently do need to be told such things... and now some of these laws are being abused. If parents want to smoke.. fine, but don't make your kids suffer.
Only now it will have to read" If parents want to over eat... fine, but don't make your kids suffer".
|
|
|
|
