Obesity In The South Driven By Poverty, Study Says

There are multiple variables that contribute to the obesity epidemic in the United States, but why is it so prevalent in the southern states? This short video gives a brief explanation as to why obesity is believed to be more prevalent in the south. The main reason why obesity is believed to be more prevalent in the south is due to poverty. Many processed foods are cheap and can be purchased at corner stores in and around lower class neighborhoods, where access to more expensive fresh fruit and vegetables can hard to come by in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods. Well enjoy this clip, I hope it gets you thinking as I would love to hear your opinion on what other variables trigger obesity problems in the south.

Who said breakfast can't be good for you.......

Perhaps one of the best breakfast ideas I have ever heard of ......I'm kidding perhaps the most disgusting breakfast I would probably try. Enjoy, I hope it makes you laugh !!!!

The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially over the past 30 years. We performed a quantitative analysis of the nature and extent of the person-to-person spread of obesity as a possible factor contributing to the obesity epidemic.

METHODS

We evaluated a densely interconnected social network of 12,067 people assessed repeatedly from 1971 to 2003 as part of the Framingham Heart Study. The body-mass index was available for all subjects. We used longitudinal statistical models to examine whether weight gain in one person was associated with weight gain in his or her friends, siblings, spouse, and neighbors.

RESULTS

Discernible clusters of obese persons (body-mass index [the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters], ≥30) were present in the network at all time points, and the clusters extended to three degrees of separation. These clusters did not appear to be solely attributable to the selective formation of social ties among obese persons. A person's chances of becoming obese increased by 57% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6 to 123) if he or she had a friend who became obese in a given interval. Among pairs of adult siblings, if one sibling became obese, the chance that the other would become obese increased by 40% (95% CI, 21 to 60). If one spouse became obese, the likelihood that the other spouse would become obese increased by 37% (95% CI, 7 to 73). These effects were not seen among neighbors in the immediate geographic location. Persons of the same sex had relatively greater influence on each other than those of the opposite sex. The spread of smoking cessation did not account for the spread of obesity in the network.

CONCLUSIONS

Network phenomena appear to be relevant to the biologic and behavioral trait of obesity, and obesity appears to spread through social ties. These findings have implications for clinical and public health interventions.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa066082

Critique by Jon Bautista

Throughout the semester I've posted various videos and articles all pertaining to the topic of obesity in the United States.The article discusses research findings on how a person's chances of becoming obese increases by 57% if he or she had a friend who became obese in a given time. Furthermore, the article gives brief descriptions about social relationships between sets of siblings, spouses, friends, and neighbors and how there is a correlation between the social relationships and obesity.  I decided to post this particular article because not only does it make for an interesting read, but  people underestimate the effects that obesity has on society. I truly believe that society doesn't realize the various complications obesity has on long term health effects, as a result, some have coined it as the silent killer. Ultimately what I am trying to get at by posting this article is to show how even social relationships can have an influence on obesity. Just one of the many factors that contribute to the cause of obesity making it more of a complex problem. My overall opinion about this article is that it just makes sense, if you hang around people who tend to have poor eating habits, there is a good chance you will too, as their diet may have an influence yours. 

Weird Al Yankovic

Every now and then, I feel that everybody needs a little humor in their life, thus I found this video from Weird Al Yankovic where he makes a mockery of an old Michael Jackson song. What I'm trying to get at in this video are the common stereotypes that obese people have in our society. Much of the lyrics he raps about are common stereotypes we see about obese individuals. Well I hope I don't offend anybody as we are all adults and I don't mean anything by this video, but simply to show the stereotypes that society has in regards to obese individuals.

Obesity from 1985-2009

An short video clip that can be found on the Center for Disease Control's website that show the ever expanding problem of obesity from state to state from 1985 on to 2009. According to the Center for Disease Control, in 1985 there were no states in the US above the 15% obesity (BMI greater than 30) mark. By 2009 there was only one state BELOW the 20% mark. Even though we spent nearly $47 billion trying to "solve it." Apparently we are doing something wrong.

The Growth of American Food Portions

http://www.visualnews.com/2012/01/25/the-growth-of-american-food-portions/

It’s no secret that waistlines and food portions have been ballooning across America, the land of the free and home of the artery clogging super-sized value menu. The last few decades have seen a massive shift in the thinking of American consumers, restaurants, fast-food chains and food manufacturers. The emphasis has changed into giving the consumer more food for less money; hasn’t anyone noticed that a small soda has turned into a medium, a medium into a large, and so on? This focus on more for less doesn’t just stop at out-of-home options either: packaged food companies are making portions larger, plates are getting bigger, and we’re so surrounded by this growth that we don’t know how much we really need to eat.

Why is eating more a problem? Because the obesity prevalence in the US has been growing steadily since the 60s; in the US, obesity has grown from 14% in 1960, to 35% in 2005. A study by the American Medical Association has shown that the worst offenders are packaged foods like salty snacks, fruit juice drinks, and soft drinks. Manufacturers of these packaged goods are among the top culprits making us fat.

There is one question that needs to be answered: Do bigger portions really make us eat more? Absolutely. Short-term studies show subjects consumed 30% more food when given a larger portion (see the pizza example below), and the problem with that is, even though people are eating more, they are feeling 0% fuller, and regularly eating the larger portion after a year will make someone 8.3 pounds fatter. Here, we take a closer look at how portions have grown over the years, and how we can regain control.

The Journal of the American Medical Associationhttp://www.visualnews.com/2012/01/25/the-growth-of-american-food-portions/

This goes back to what I discussed earlier in the semester in regards to eating with our eyes and not our stomachs. I think at one point or another we are all guilty of this, but as Americans we are greedy in the sense that we waste so much food each year versus other countries. A question that really interest me in regards to obesity is: why are do food portions continue to grow? Why does the food and beverage industry feel they must continue to make larger, fattier portions of food? An interesting theory I've read up on is that many of these items are packed with sugar and salt, in return some researchers believe that these two ingredients have the ability  trick the senses into believing the body is still hungry. As a result the human body consumes more than they should. Another additional theory is that of the sugar substitute, high fructose corn syrup. Some researcher speculate that high fructose corn syrup triggers the mind into believing that the human body is still hungry when in reality it is not. Some of these are just a few problems to the ever expanding issue of obesity. Obviously there are multiple variables that influence the obesity epidemic in the United States, but identifying some of the most basic problems is an important step in reducing the obesity epidemic.

Prevention: Doctor’s Weight Affects Obesity Diagnoses

In this article posted in the New York Times, the research findings concluded that overweight doctors may be less likely than other physicians to discuss diet and exercise with patients, and less likely to make a diagnosis of obesity. The researchers surveyed a random sample of 498 general practitioners and internists, more than half of whom were overweight themselves, about their diagnosis and treatment of overweight patients. They found that at times, doctors more frequently made a diagnosis of obesity when a patient’s weight was higher than their own, and overweight doctors were less likely to believe a patient would follow their diet advice.

This brings me back to what I had previously discussed in an earlier post, where obesity is becoming more of social norm in today’s society. What I take away from this article is that doctors who are overweight feel that they may not need to address the topic of obesity to many of their clients, due to the simple fact that they are overweight. Perhaps they wake up every day and they see themselves in the mirror, thus they are used to seeing themselves as overweight or obese, in return they don't address this topic to their patients because they have it fixated in their head that being overweight or obese is somewhat normal. Perhaps they are more concerned with addressing topics that are related to obesity such as high blood pressure or diabetes. In return they prescribe medicine to their patients to lower high blood pressure or treat diabetes, when in reality the first step to help reduce a lot of these problems is addressing the patients eating habits and daily routines.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/health/research/overweight-doctors-less-likely-to-address-obesity.html?_r=1