Obesity Rates Up In US
Published Date: 07-01-2009 09:56 PM CT
In Health Watch:Americans are getting fatter.And that could create a health crisis as baby boomers grow in the wrong direction.Drew Levinson has more.15 year old Maria Clemente and her father Robert are fighting fat with surgery.Robert Clemente says, 'it is a real struggle to do things in general. Walk up and down the street, sit in a chair, go on airplane, get on a train.'The battle of the bulge is being fought across the country.. and Americans are losing.A new report called "F as in Fat" reveals two thirds of the country is overweight--nearly a third is obese-- 50 pounds overweight.That's costing the country billions in healthcare.Not one state last year saw a drop in obesity rates, in fact they rose in 23 states and some doctors fear half the country will be obese as next year.To bring down medical costs, the report recommends a coordinated national effort because current policies aren't working.Dr. Marina Kurian says, 'they are not going to impact on the degree of obesity that we have right now.'The key of course is eating more stuff like this but as the study shows most adults don't.But the news for children is a little better.Childhood obesity rates are still dangerously high but have evened out. Some kids like Ashleigh Staples are getting the message.Ashleigh says, 'They need to start eating more vegetables and less sugar.'Maria Clemente decided to take the same drastic step as her father to get her weight under control: lap-band surgery-- to tighten her stomach. She's also changing her diet.Maria Clemente says, 'we try to buy healthier food, and we all try to work out together as a family.'And tightening the belt is key to keeping Americans healthier... and bringing health care costs under control.Drew Levinson, CBS News, New York.
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