Study
shows increase in obesity
By Sonya Smith
On-line Forty-Niner
Third
year business major Kelly Chase has lost
50 pounds over the past year by keeping
a simple diet of eating right and exercising.
“It has been easy to keep the weight off
since I gave up fast food,” Chase said.
This is a plan that perhaps more Americans
should follow according to a recent study
by the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey. The survey showed the occurrence
of people being overweight as 64.5 percent
for 1999-2000, up from the 55.9 percent
in the 1988 to 1994 study, according to
a recent Journal of American Medical Association
article.
The article also showed that obesity is
on the rise at 30.5 percent from the previous
22.9 percent, and extreme obesity is also
increasing at 4.7 percent after the previous
study found it to be 2.9 percent.
The National Health and Examination Survey
statistics were found by surveying 4,115
adult men and women from 1999 to 2000, according
to the JAMA article.
Their height and weight were measured to
find the body mass index. An index above
or equal to 25 is considered overweight,
above or equal to 30 is considered obese
and above or equal to 40 is considered extremely
obese, the JAMA article said.
“I am not surprised at all,” said Chase
of the statistics. “Society is centered
around eating as a social thing.”
Larry Harvey, clinical coordinator for Student
Health Services, was not surprised by the
findings either.
“In the United States it seems that we have
increasingly gained weight,” he said.
Harvey explained that in order to prevent
or aid in weight loss, eating healthy and
exercise are still the two essentials.
For healthy eating he recommends keeping
a list of what you eat all day and to count
the calories, which can be done using a
nutritional guide.
“Try to eat regularly scheduled meals and
try not to snack in between,” Harvey said.
For exercise, Harvey said to keep a list
of exercise for each day. He said the recommended
amount of exercise is 20 minutes at least
three days a week.
Harvey also suggested to get adequate sleep
and keep meals balanced among the food groups.
He warns people of the special fat and protein
diets or pills that promise weight loss
as they may cause side effects.
However, students may feel that healthy
eating and exercising often take up too
much of their time.
Chase made some recommendations for eating
healthy on the go. She said to pack a lunch,
or when necessary, to choose fast food that
is low in calories. All restaurants have
a chart of the calories in their food. For
exercise she suggests walking instead of
taking a shuttle, to take the stairs rather
than the elevator or to go regularly to
a gym.
The article warns, “Obesity is a risk factor
for many chronic conditions including diabetes,
hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, stroke,
heart disease, certain cancers and arthritis.”
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