The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Fat and getting fatter: US obesity rates to soar by 2030 Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:18 AM PDT  People work out in an outdoor exercise area at Macombs Dam Park in the Bronx section of New York City. The city is testing the first of its kind so-called "Adult Playgrounds" equipped with facilities designed to work out all parts of the body. City officials say there are plans to potentially bring as many as 24 more to neighbourhoods throughout New York City, to combat obesity and promote a healthy lifestyle. — Reuters pic The latest in a long string of reports on the obesity epidemic in the United States presents the usual glum picture of the present, when 35.7 per cent of adults and 16.9 per cent of children age 2 to 19 are obese, as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported earlier this year. But for the first time, the report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — the ninth that the groups have issued — also applies a time machine to those data.  A woman works out on one of the Macombs Dam Park equipment. — Reuters pic Building on the state-by-state obesity data CDC released in August, "F as in Fat" projects obesity rates of at least 44 per cent in every state and over 60 per cent in 13. Since obesity raises the risk of numerous diseases — from type 2 diabetes to endometrial cancer — that will mean more sick people and higher medical costs, notes the report, released today. In particular, it projects as many as 7.9 million new cases of diabetes a year, compared with 1.9 million new cases in recent years. There could also be 6.8 million new cases of chronic heart disease and stroke every year, compared with 1.3 million new cases a year now. The increasing burden of illness will go right to the bottom line, it says: US$66 billion (RM200.3 billion) more in annual obesity-related medical costs over and above today's US$147 billion to US$210 billion (out of total healthcare spending of US$2.7 trillion). That projection supports a study published earlier this year in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that found that by 2030, 42 per cent of US adults could be obese, adding US$550 billion to healthcare costs over that period. 'A tale of two futures' As with all projections, from climate models to Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", human actions can prevent the worst of the scenarios. "This is a tale of two futures," said Jeffrey Levi of George Washington University and the executive director of Trust for America's Health. "We're at a turning point where if we don't do something now to mitigate these trends, the cost in human health and healthcare spending will be enormous."  Another working out on the bars. — Reuters pic The projections emerge from the increase in obesity rates among US adults, which have more than doubled from the 15 per cent of 1980, and children, which have more than tripled since 1980. Although the percentage of obese children and adults was essentially unchanged between 2008 and 2010, CDC found, the "F as in Fat" model takes a longer view, said mathematician Martin Brown of Britain's National Heart Forum, a nonprofit group, who led development of the model. "You have to take trends over a number of years," he said. "In the age groups that matter, there just isn't much evidence of a levelling off in obesity rates." As a result, many states projected to have the most obesity in 2030 do now, too. In 2011, 12 states had an adult-obesity rate above 30 per cent, with Mississippi the highest at 34.9 per cent. Colorado was the lowest at 20.7 per cent.
The report projects that in 2030 in Mississippi, 66.7 per cent of adults will be obese, as will 44.8 per cent in Colorado, which will still be the thinnest state. More surprising are projections for states such as Delaware, now the 19th-most obese state with a rate of 28.8 per cent. The model uses 1999 as a baseline, says Brown. "So if a state had a low rate of obesity in 1999 and is fairly high now, that indicates a steep rate of increase, which we believe will not go away." Result: an obesity rate of 64.7 per cent in Delaware in 2030, making it the third-most obese state. States facing the greatest percentage increase in obesity-related medical costs are now in the middle of the pack. New Jersey faces the largest increase in costs, 34.5 per cent, as its obesity rate is projected to climb from 23.7 per cent today to 48.6 per cent in 2030. Eight other states could see increases of 20 per cent and 30 per cent, including New Hampshire, Colorado and Alaska. All is not lost, says Levi. "We have learned that with a concerted effort you can change the culture of a community, including its level of physical activity, eating habits, what foods are offered in schools, and whether families eat together," he said. In New York City, for instance, obesity in grades K-8 dropped 5.5 per cent from the 2006-07 school year to 2010-11, thanks mostly to healthier school lunches, public health experts said. If BMI were reduced by 5 per cent — for an adult of average weight, that means losing 11 pounds (5 kg) — in 2030 the obesity rate would not exceed 60 per cent in any state, in contrast to the 13 in the business-as-usual projection. — Reuters |
| Management tip: Make decisions less stressful Posted: 18 Sep 2012 07:55 AM PDT BOSTON, Sept 18 — Many times the antidote for overloaded consumers isn't more options at the store shelf, it's decision simplicity, says Harvard Business Review.
"When asked, consumers almost always say they want more options. But their purchasing behaviour often indicates otherwise. Consumers are often overwhelmed by the flood of product information and choices available to them. Many report unnecessarily agonising over trivial purchases. This cognitive overload causes them to make poor decisions, repeatedly change their minds, give up on purchases altogether, or regret the purchases they do make — none of which is good for your brand. Help your customers simplify their decisions. You can reduce choice by getting rid of less popular products. Or you can simplify their choices by helping them navigate their options and giving them trustworthy information they can use to weigh the alternatives." * Today's management tip was adapted from If Customers Ask for More Choice, Don't Listen, by Karen Freeman, Patrick Spenner and Anna Bird. Click here for the full post. — Reuters |
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