home
RSS
Overheard: Whose fault is obesity?
September 19th, 2012
12:35 PM ET

Overheard: Whose fault is obesity?

Editor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.

Obesity is a huge problem in the United States, and it’s linked to serious illnesses such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease and certain cancers.

A new report suggests that by 2030 nearly half of all Americans will be obese, and these expanding waistlines will translate into billions of dollars of health care costs. The study authors advocate for nationwide interventions to get children and adults to be more physically active and eat healthier.

More than 400 readers commented on the story. The most popular reader comment came from Joe Skinner, who says:

This is something I've been saying forever, the problem isn't "Romneycare" or "Obamacare," it's fat Americans who are the problem and they are more willing to blame politicians for health care cost problems than to say the 300-pound reading on the scale might have something to do with it.

Bruce Force responded that weight loss alone won’t solve the problem:

I agree that we are responsible for our own health but I think this obsession with losing weight is the wrong way to go about it. When we talk about fitness, we never talk about skills and that's unfortunate because that what being fit is about: developing skills in order to survive.

Chichetr proposed the radical measure of taxing overweight people per pound, a comment that got 59 “likes” :

I'm sick and tired of seeing my fellow Americans waddling around from fast food restaurant to fast food restaurant, their giant bellies swaying and bulging out under their shirts. It's absolutely shameful.

I propose that we start charging health care costs by the pound. How many of these people do you think are going to keel over from 1, 2 or 3 heart attacks, strokes, cardiovascular disorders of every kind? The list goes on and on. How many of these people can actually PAY for the tremendous health care costs associated with their weight? Not many.

I as a taxpayer, I refuse to pay for these people. Tax the overweight and obese NOW!

But pgauthi responded with a more pragmatic approach:

Those of us living in the real world realize we can't just let people "take responsibility," because we have decided that everyone has the right to emergency treatment. So as much as it pains me to pay for the lazy obese I would rather pay for their preventive care than for their emergencies.

I would love it though if medicare tax and/or health premiums were based on BMI and cardiovascular fitness.

Delishus Cake represented the point of view that the high cost of healthy foods compared to fattening foods is part of the problem:

If fresh fruit was affordable year round and a salad didn't cost the same as 4 double cheeseburgers people might not be so fat. Low income people typically choose whichever option looks to be the most bang for your buck. If you've got $4 and you want to eat are you going to buy a salad or 2 double cheeseburgers, a large coke, and a fry?

But halfthestory argues the opposite viewpoint:

So tired of hearing the "it costs too much to eat healthy" argument. Plan your budget and buy healthier foods ... fast food is not much cheaper and is much less healthier. It's a lifestyle change and not a financial issue in most cases. It's just easier to justify when you say "it costs too much".

Chemical BPA linked to children's obesity

Finally, the usage of body mass index as a measure of obesity is imperfect, as readers such as CatMagnet noted. Height and weight are the factors that go into calculating BMI, but for some people that is not an accurate assessment of whether they are healthy.

On Twitter, science writer @miriamgordon responded to the story by citing this New York Times article from Tuesday, which notes that obesity as we know it may not be the whole story: “In study after study, overweight and moderately obese patients with certain chronic diseases often live longer and fare better than normal-weight patients with the same ailments.”

Part of the problem is that if you measure obesity with body mass index, you are ignoring other potentially critical measurements of health, including metabolic abnormalities, lean muscle mass and body fat, the article said.

Another science writer, @daviddespain, responded with an article he had written on his blog suggesting that young Asian-American women may be improperly categorized as healthy using the traditional BMI scale; they may have low BMI but high body fat percentage.

The state-by-state obesity data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not take these deviations from the traditional BMI picture into account, nor do the 2030 predictions.

More from CNN: Is your doctor's role changing in the fight against obesity?

 Post by:
Filed under: Diet and Fitness • Obesity
Next entry »
« Previous entry
soundoff (1,349 Responses)
  1. DavidAdess

    generic viagra without prescription best ed drug cheap cialis online canada pharmacy online canadian pharmacies mail order safest place to buy clomid in the uk canada pharmacy online canadian pharmacy cialis 20mg blue mountain pharmacy canada price of viagra

    May 2, 2021 at 19:43 | Report abuse | Reply
  2. RaymondElupt

    canadian pharmacy no prescription

    May 2, 2021 at 22:46 | Report abuse | Reply
  3. Terrytib

    canadian pharmacy no prescription

    May 3, 2021 at 04:32 | Report abuse | Reply
  4. DavidAdess

    usa no prescription generic viagra new impotence drugs cheapest cialis generic online canada online pharmacy canada pharmacy online clomid online pharmacy no prescription canada canadian health and care mall canadian pharmacy viagra 50 mg price walmart

    May 3, 2021 at 09:39 | Report abuse | Reply
  5. ThomasBot

    canadian pharmacy clonidine

    May 3, 2021 at 16:01 | Report abuse | Reply
  6. RaymondElupt

    sky pharmacy online drugstore

    May 3, 2021 at 16:26 | Report abuse | Reply
  7. Terrytib

    belize pharmacy online

    May 3, 2021 at 18:12 | Report abuse | Reply
  8. priligy

    dapoxetine usa dapoxetine tablets price

    May 3, 2021 at 22:08 | Report abuse | Reply
  9. DavidAdess

    viagra online without prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction buy cialis cheap pacific care pharmacy port vila list of legitimate canadian pharmacies buy clomid express shipping no script canadian pharmacy pacific care pharmacy northwestern canada drugs best price on generic viagra

    May 3, 2021 at 23:33 | Report abuse | Reply
  10. Terrytib

    is pharmacy rx one legitimate

    May 4, 2021 at 07:38 | Report abuse | Reply
  11. DavidAdess

    buy viagra no prescription ed medication cialis cheapest online prices tadalafil canadian pharmacy online canadian pharmacies mail order clomid online pharmacy pacific care pharmacy pharmacy express canada best generic viagra pharmacies

    May 4, 2021 at 13:16 | Report abuse | Reply
  12. Terrytib

    skypharmacy

    May 4, 2021 at 21:14 | Report abuse | Reply
  13. DavidAdess

    viagra canada no prescription e.d. medications cialis online cheap canadian pharmacy stock canada pharmacy clomiphene online pharmacy special care pharmacy puerto rico canadian pharmacy online no script best prices for viagra 100mg

    May 5, 2021 at 03:12 | Report abuse | Reply
  14. RaymondElupt

    canadian pharmacies mail order

    May 5, 2021 at 04:11 | Report abuse | Reply
  15. Terrytib

    canada pharmacy 24 hour drug store

    May 5, 2021 at 10:48 | Report abuse | Reply
  16. DavidAdess

    best viagra without prescription best pharmacy online cheap cialis no prescription canadian pharmacy canadian pharmacy cialis 5 mg clomid for men for sale fda approved canadian online pharmacies rayh health care viagra canadian pharmacy cialis 5 mg viagra100mgbestprice.net

    May 5, 2021 at 16:59 | Report abuse | Reply
  17. RaymondElupt

    sky pharmacy store

    May 5, 2021 at 22:06 | Report abuse | Reply
  18. JamesRak

    viagra no prior prescription

    May 6, 2021 at 01:23 | Report abuse | Reply
  19. Richardbak

    canadian pharmacy without prescritption canadian pharmacy mall online pharmacy cialis samples without prescrpition canadian pharmacy online supreme suppliers viagra canada pharmacy without prescription My Canadian pharcharmy Online generic ed medication tretinoin online

    May 6, 2021 at 01:23 | Report abuse | Reply
  20. Thomashig

    canadian pharmacy mall

    May 6, 2021 at 01:43 | Report abuse | Reply
  21. DavidAdess

    rhineinc.in

    May 6, 2021 at 02:32 | Report abuse | Reply
  22. Harrygit

    pfizer viagra price

    May 6, 2021 at 03:18 | Report abuse | Reply
  23. Brianwit

    order cialis without prescription

    May 6, 2021 at 04:26 | Report abuse | Reply
  24. CharlesGlalf

    canadian pharmacies mail order

    May 6, 2021 at 14:46 | Report abuse | Reply
  25. Thomashig

    online pharmacies canada

    May 6, 2021 at 15:32 | Report abuse | Reply
  26. RaymondElupt

    orlistat sky pharmacy

    May 6, 2021 at 15:37 | Report abuse | Reply
  27. DavidAdess

    rhine inc palghar m.s india

    May 6, 2021 at 18:03 | Report abuse | Reply
  28. Harrygit

    pfizer viagra

    May 6, 2021 at 20:31 | Report abuse | Reply
  29. Danielsax

    canadian pharmacy rip off

    May 6, 2021 at 21:39 | Report abuse | Reply
  30. Thomashig

    canadian pharmacy support team

    May 7, 2021 at 05:08 | Report abuse | Reply
  31. DavidAdess

    rhine inc india

    May 7, 2021 at 09:46 | Report abuse | Reply
  32. Harrygit

    free samples of viagra

    May 7, 2021 at 14:10 | Report abuse | Reply
  33. Thomashig

    canadian pharmacies

    May 7, 2021 at 18:42 | Report abuse | Reply
  34. DavidAdess

    rhine inc india tadalafil

    May 8, 2021 at 01:33 | Report abuse | Reply
  35. RaymondElupt

    onlinepharmacy

    May 8, 2021 at 02:13 | Report abuse | Reply
  36. Harrygit

    free viagra samples before buying

    May 8, 2021 at 07:11 | Report abuse | Reply
  37. Thomashig

    canadian pharmacies mail order

    May 8, 2021 at 08:01 | Report abuse | Reply
  38. CharlesGlalf

    paxil canada pharmacy no perscription

    May 8, 2021 at 13:48 | Report abuse | Reply
  39. RaymondElupt

    online pharmacies canada

    May 8, 2021 at 20:47 | Report abuse | Reply
  40. Thomashig

    canadian pharmacy

    May 8, 2021 at 21:15 | Report abuse | Reply
  41. Harrygit

    viagra 6 free samples

    May 9, 2021 at 00:06 | Report abuse | Reply
  42. DavidAdess

    rhine inc india 401404

    May 9, 2021 at 08:57 | Report abuse | Reply
  43. Thomashig

    canadian online pharmacy

    May 9, 2021 at 10:28 | Report abuse | Reply
  44. Harrygit

    free viagra sample before buying

    May 9, 2021 at 17:27 | Report abuse | Reply
  45. DavidAdess

    rhine inc pharmacy

    May 10, 2021 at 00:49 | Report abuse | Reply
  46. Marlon Sunderland

    Have you ever heard of second life (sl for short). It is essentially a online game where you can do anything you want. SL is literally my second life (pun intended lol). If you would like to see more you can see these sl websites and blogs

    http://myvedana.blogspot.com/2006/05/exotic.html?m=0

    May 10, 2021 at 04:07 | Report abuse | Reply
  47. Harrygit

    free viagra samples in canada

    May 10, 2021 at 10:18 | Report abuse | Reply
  48. CharlesGlalf

    canada pharmacy without prescription

    May 10, 2021 at 12:23 | Report abuse | Reply
  49. DavidAdess

    rhine inc india cialis

    May 10, 2021 at 16:38 | Report abuse | Reply
  50. Douglasovefs

    nizagara for sale cheap

    May 11, 2021 at 03:24 | Report abuse | Reply
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Post a comment


  

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.

Next entry »
« Previous entry
Advertisement
About this blog

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.