 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Obesity is growing by leaps and bounds, but at least one country is taking new steps to do something about it.
According to a RAND study, the incidence of severe obesity in the United States grew by 50 percent between 2000 and 2005, making it the fastest growing category of obesity in the country. People in the severe category are generally 100 or more pounds overweight. That translates to a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above. The proportion of people considered just obese -- those with a BMI between 30 and 40 -- grew by 24 percent during the same time period.
Text Continues Below
These figures come despite the increasing prevalence of bariatric surgery to treat obesity. Between 1998 and 2003, the number of bariatric procedures grew from 13,000 to more than 100,000, and initial estimates suggest about 200,000 of these procedures were performed last year.
Although the aforementioned statistics are based on U.S. data, obesity is a worldwide problem. Now Canadians are taking new steps to cut down on obesity in their country. Health leaders recently published clinical practice guidelines aimed at battling the problem in children and adults. The guidelines recommend:
- Diet and exercise to fight flab, followed by medications and surgery if diet and exercise don't work
- Regular health screenings for all overweight or obese people beginning at age 10
- Inclusion of behavior modification techniques in weight management programs
- Implementation of prevention programs in schools
- Limiting television, computer, and video game time to less than two hours a day
Canadian health statistics show 59 percent of adults are overweight, and 23 percent are obese.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: RAND press release, April 9, 2007; Canadian Medical Association Journal, published online April 9, 2007
|
.gif)
