Mississippi gets BIG award, again! But, it's not GOOD!

William Atkins
Thursday, 02 July 2009 19:03

Science - Health

Dr. Ed Thompson is Mississippi's state health officer.

Thompson was stated in the CNN article as saying, "We do see obesity among people who are in lower socioeconomic levels, but we see it in higher socioeconomic levels as well. Being poor does not make you obese, and being rich does not make you thin."

Jeff Levi, the executive director of the Trust for America’s Health, stated, "The obesity epidemic clearly goes beyond being an individual problem.” [Associated Press: “Obesity rates rising, Mississippi's still fattest.”]

The July 1, 2009 AP article states, “Health economists once made the harsh financial calculation that the obese would save money by dying sooner. But more recent research instead suggests that better treatments are keeping them alive nearly as long — but they're much sicker for longer, requiring such costly interventions as knee replacements and diabetes care and dialysis. Medicare spends anywhere from $1,400 to $6,000 more annually on health care for an obese senior than for the non-obese….”

To read more about the report, go to the Trust for America’s Health article “F as in Fat 2009: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America.”

For more information on obesity, and to see if you are obese or not, go to: Calculate your BMI (body to mass index).

For additional information on how to live a healthier life with foods, go to “Functional foods for guaranteed healthy life,” by Jennifer Schreyer.

Find out why fast foods are an obese person’s worst enemy at “Obesity: The dangers of a fast-food diet.”