This summer has been a more productive season for discussion of obesity in our nation's capital and on many progressive blogs but have we actually made any progress. This morning I want to talk about a couple of the huge announcements that were made last month and begin a dialogue about where we go from here.
On WHEE at DKos, we have focused primarily on our community. We have encouraged each other as we make changes to our lives and begin or continue a path toward a more healthy body. We have shown concern for each other. We have listed our own trials and challenges. We have offered helpful hints on how to make changes in diet, work, and exercise. Our focus has been internal even as the debate has raged around us about the direction of a future health care program in America.
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WHEE (Weight, Health, Eating and Exercise) is a community support diary for Kossacks who are currently or planning to start losing, gaining or maintaining their weight through diet and exercise or fitness. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are working on your weight or fitness, please -- join us! You can also click the WHEE tag to view all diary posts.
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Mon PM 1864 House
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Wed AM - Edward Spurlock
Wed PM mommyof3
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I wrote the diary that starts below late yesterday after a fun time with family celebrating my mother-in-laws 93rd birthday. Then I awoke early this morning and saw Edward's diary from last night which addressed a very important article in Time but got hijacked by a few soles here on DKos that don't understand when to quit. Maybe they should twitter Sarah Palin. Hopefully, Edward will repost this information at a later time and we can have some more appropriate discussion.
Also I saw the front page at Huffington Post which has drawn lots of comments but not much thought. The referenced articles by Dean Ornish and Andrew Weil probably encapsulate my frustration that I exhibit below and in the title above. Both articles express a feeling of dispair for me that we have lost control. The Teabaggers feel that way and so do I but for a very different reason. Now on to what I actually wrote last night...
Today, I just want to begin the discussion of the challenges we face as a nation if the trend of the past 30 years continues. I'll point to a couple of studies and hopefully, you will know of others that may contribute to the conversation. I want to be involved in the direction the nation may take but the discussion seems so disjointed and unfocused on obesity and its challenges. I want to learn more. Maybe my rambling today will provoke you to offer some suggestions that are concrete and practical and can be measured in simple and specific examples of improving the health of some group.
The report F as in Fat 2009 was produced in July by the Trust for America's Health in conjunction with and financial support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The page I have linked is for the 2009 report. Please note that on this page you can also access the 2008 report so that you can compare the results for your state and the improvement or decline in their rankings and %'s. Also, please note the state by state search on the upper right. This page gives you great information about your state on over 40 different categories.
A couple of key points from this study although it has loads of great information.
The current economic crisis could exacerbate the obesity epidemic. Food prices, particularly for more nutritious foods, are expected to rise, making it more difficult for families to eat healthy foods. At the same time, safety-net programs and services are becoming increasingly overextended as the numbers of unemployed, uninsured and underinsured continue to grow. In addition, due to the strain of the recession, rates of depression, anxiety and stress, which are linked to obesity for many individuals, also are increasing.
and
A recent analysis commissioned by TFAH found that the Baby Boomer generation has a higher rate of obesity compared with previous generations. As the Baby Boomer generation ages, obesity-related costs to Medicare and Medicaid are likely to grow significantly because of the large number of people in this population and its high rate of obesity. And, as Baby Boomers become Medicare-eligible, the percentage of obese adults age 65 and older could increase significantly. Estimates of the increase in percentage of obese adults range from 5.2 percent in New York to 16.3 percent in Alabama.
a key point as it relates to the next study I'll mention and to the current debate on our health care program.
Reducing Medicare expenditures by promoting proven programs that improve nutrition and increase physical activity among adults ages 55 to 64.
The next large announcement on obesity came with a huge National Conference in DC in late July. It was labeled as The Weight of the Nation.
One of the key reports came from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and you can see the report at the CDC.gove site. This report is not very long and deals rather densely with the measurement aspect of the recommendations. They have 24 proposed recommendations that deal with 4 broad areas.
Strategies to Promote the Availability of Affordable Healthy Food and Beverages
Strategies to Support Healthy Food and Beverage Choices
Strategies to Create Safe Communities That Support Physical Activity
Strategy to Encourage Communities to Organize for Change
Under each strategy, they list 1-8 recommendations to address the identified problem. Please notice if you look at the report that all the recommendations rely on local and community based expertise to implement, if desired, the recommendations. As I stated in the title above...Where's the Leadership? This has been produced and obviously controlled by the CDC. It has some input from RTI and other highly placed individuals but this, damn it, is a national report. Where is the CDC's leadership? Where is the Department of Health and Human Services? Where is Kathleen Sebelius? Where is the Food and Drug Department? Where is the Dept of Agriculture and our subsidies for sugar, corn and soybeans? Where is our Federal government? Who is leading an effort to solve these issues?
If we rely on local and community organizations and government, we may find some pockets of strength and initiative but it will be spotty at best. We may find a few great programs to emulate. But if this is the proposals, we all know that the poor, minorities, and the disadvantaged will be excluded or overlooked. It happens every time.
One of the proposals dealt with working to improve and increase the number of supermarkets with fresh produce and vegetables in areas of high poverty and minority people. In the Raleigh area, one of the largest and strongest supermarket chains is Harris Teeter. On my computer and it may not work on your link but if it comes up differently, just type in the zip code 27606. That is a fairly large zip in Wake County where Harris Teeter has over 20 supermarkets. As you look at the map, you can look to the right and page through a few times. Watch how all the stores are north, west, and southwest of Raleigh. Absolutely none in the southeast section of Raleigh and Wake County. We all know why.
Finally, I'll point you to another report that just came out from RTI which is in the Raleigh area. Health Affairs did a similar report back in 1998 but has updated the increasing costs associated with obesity in very stark terms. I'll let you do some reading if you are inclined but the fact that our spending for medical care for overweight persons now is estimated at $147 billion per year. That is almost 10% of all health costs in our country. And it is growing by leaps and bounds. When you add in the quick rise that will soon hit Medicare from the Baby Boomers like myself, it has to reversed and quickly. Across all payers, per capita medical spending is $1429 higher than a normal weight person. (That's 42% higher)
And in all this discussion, I have yet to even talk about our young kids although the report from the Johnson Foundation places their future in dire terms.
I know this may have been disjointed because I have just started digging into this issue and am not as versed as I hope to become in the following months. Some Congressmen are working on this issue. One is Earl Blumenauer from Oregon. I first came across his name when he was interviewed by Chris Matthews on the proposal in the House 3200 Health Care bill on the possible reimbursement of your doctor for a voluntary consultation on your plans for "end of life" and a living will. When I went to his site to actually read the proposal, the page I have link above caught my eye. He and a Republican, Ginny Brown-Waite want you to be able to use your pre-tax dollars from your HSA or other plans to purchase vitamins and nutrients if they are FDA approved. I have fought with BCBS for three years on this issue. It has been denied. Why shouldn't I be able to use a small portion (say $100 or $200 per year) of my HSA funds to buy Omega 3 capsules?
I'll close by again stating my title.
Where's the Leadership on this issue?