Obesity Weighs Heavy on Texas: Texas Has 6th Highest Rate of Overweith Children in U.S.

Aug 28, 05:34 AM

Current Headlines: By Tara Bozick, Victoria Advocate, Texas

Aug. 28--As Americans loosen belts, burden scales and order larger food portions, obesity consumes the country. For the first time ever, more than 30 percent of a state, Mississippi, reached adult obesity. Texas ranked 12 in the nation with an adult obesity rate of 26.3 percent, but ranked 6 with overweight youths at 19.1 percent.

The 2007 "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America" report, which was release Monday, found that obesity rates rose in 31 states and exceeded 25 percent in 19 states, according to Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit, disease prevention organization.

State health departments, with the assistance of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, surveyed people by telephone to calculate body mass index. If the current trend continues, the costs of obesity to Texas could quadruple from $10.5 billion today to as much as $39 billion by the year 2040, according to Texas Department of State Health statistics.

Due to the cost of health care, absenteeism, decreased productivity and disability, obesity could cost Texas businesses $15.8 billion annually by 2025, according to the Texas Comptroller's office.

"Our main goal is to make people aware that obesity is not a personal health issue anymore, but a public health crisis," said Maria Guzman, manager of the State Health Services Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention program.

"Obesity is definitely an issue that deserves a great deal of attention," said Dr. Richard Mabray, board-certified in bariatric medicine, of Victoria.

A consequence of obesity is that it predisposes people to other serious conditions, Mabray said, including breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. The lungs and heart must work harder because of a decrease in blood supply to tissue, Mabray said. Fat deposits allow little blood supply.

The same factors that allow for obesity, such as a diet of high fructose corn syrup, contribute to diabetes, Mabray said. "It's not rare to see a teenager with adult onset diabetes these days."

While many factors may cause obesity, Mabray said the biggest problem is in lifestyle choices.

"When I grew up, everybody worked hard. Most had an agricultural background," Mabray said. "Nobody drank soft drinks."

The sugar-laden foods Americans eat contribute to insulin resistance and fat storage, Mabray said.DeAnna Alvarez, program manager for Pecan Valley Area Health Education Center, agreed.

Avoiding unhealthy foods takes careful planning, she said, noting she feeds her son before they go to the movies and she allows him one candy. She said she keeps an eye on the portion intake.

"If you go to the movies, that's your whole calories for the day," Alvarez said about easily reaching the daily calorie allowance. "We have a tremendous problem" with obesity, Alvarez said.

Childhood obesity doubled in the past 20 years, Alvarez said. Diabetes stemmed from obesity remains a concern.

"A lot of people who have diabetes have it because of their weight," Alvarez said. "Kids have it right now because of their lifestyle, their environment."

Alvarez, who is a member of the Crossroads Health Coalition, said education and prevention prove key in keeping children and adults from reaching the obese level.

The coalition's Do Well Be Well program serves adults for diabetes disease prevention and management, while other education programs teach students in third and fourth grades how to eat a proper diet and get enough exercise.

"We're teaching them about getting their heart rate up, "Alvarez said. "We teach them to break a sweat and really get their cardio going." Tara Bozick is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6504 or tbozick@vicad.com, or comment on this story here.

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