Obesity rates rising among women: CDC

[proverbialwisdom]

Source: By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay News, UPI

June 7, 2016 at 12:09 PM

TUESDAY, June 7, 2016 -- More American women than ever are obese, while the number of men carrying around far too many pounds has held steady, new research shows.

And a second study finds U.S. teens are another group that continues to struggle with obesity.

"Obesity remains a public health concern," said Cynthia Ogden, an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. She worked on both reports.

"Our study didn't look at why, we just looked at the trends to see what was happening," she explained. More research is needed to determine the reasons for the continuing obesity epidemic, she added.

The statistics are sobering.

Forty percent of American women and 35 percent of men were obese in 2013-2014, reflecting an increase among women but not among men, the report found.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2016/06/07/Obesity-rates-rising-among-women-CDC/1011465315441/

---

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2526639

Original Investigation | June 7, 2016
Trends in Obesity Among Adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014 FREE
Katherine M. Flegal, PhD1; Deanna Kruszon-Moran, MS1; Margaret D. Carroll, MSPH1; Cheryl D. Fryar, MSPH1; Cynthia L. Ogden, PhD1
[-] Author Affiliations

1National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Maryland

JAMA. 2016;315(21):2284-2291. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.6458.

Related commentary: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2526613

[Socal31]

1. Not good news.

Humans are a self-destructive species, that is for certain.

[proverbialwisdom]

2. PEDIATRICS: Popular Music Celebrity Endorsements in Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/06/02/peds.2015-3977

Pediatrics
June 2016

Popular Music Celebrity Endorsements in Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing
Marie A. Bragg, Alysa N. Miller, Juleen Elizee, Shatabdi Dighe, Brian D. Elbel

<>

The Institute of Medicine and surgeon general have stated that individual-level health-promoting behavior changes are very difficult to achieve because of the current unhealthy environment.1 Food and beverage marketing has been identified as a significant environmental contributor to childhood obesity.1⇓⇓⇓⇓–6 Exposure to food marketing promotes excess consumption, increased purchase requests, and higher preference for the product among children and adults.2⇓⇓–5 A cued-recall assessment demonstrated that fast food advertising receptivity (ie, exposure and response to ads) is associated with youth obesity.7 Food and beverage companies spend $2 billion annually on youth-targeted advertisements.1 Public health experts have called for a shift toward marketing messages that encourage consumption of healthy foods and beverages and policies to establish protective thresholds for food marketing exposure targeting youth.8⇓⇓⇓–12

Research has shown that the use of celebrity endorsements in marketing can enhance brand equity and the desirability of a product, leading consumers to more positively associate with, and easily recognize, brands.13⇓–15 This effect is particularly relevant in the context of music celebrity endorsements because adolescents ages 12 to 18 years report spending almost 2 hours listening to music each day,16 and black and Latino youth spend 3 hours listening to music daily.17 This frequent exposure is notable in the context of previous research that showed that 20% of popular US songs mentioned alcohol brands and associated alcohol with positive consequences (eg, wealth, sex, luxury).18 This exposure is linked to self-reported alcohol consumption, with 1 study demonstrating that familiarity with songs that mention alcohol brands was associated with drinking behaviors in adolescents and young adults.19 These findings are consistent with industry data showing that celebrity endorsement campaigns are more likely than noncelebrity campaigns to lead to substantial increases in immediate profits and long-term increases in profitability.20 Given the high level of brand exposure created by these multi–million-dollar endorsement deals, public health experts have expressed concern over the potential effects of these marketing techniques on adolescents, who represent a vulnerable population well attuned to popular music trends. Indeed, grassroots action and media attention regarding celebrity athletes’ endorsement of tobacco have coincided with declining tobacco endorsements21,22 and could provide useful lessons for addressing music celebrities’ endorsements of unhealthy food and beverage products.

The food industry capitalizes on music celebrities’ popularity with youth by engaging in multi–million-dollar endorsement deals. In 2012, Beyoncé Knowles signed an endorsement deal with Pepsi worth an estimated $50 million, and Justin Timberlake received an estimated $6 million for his involvement in the McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it” tune.23,24 In addition, beverage industry publications credit Latino rapper Pitbull’s endorsement of Dr Pepper with 4.6 million advertising impressions (ie, any views or exposure to ads) and boosting Dr Pepper sales among Latinos by 1.7%, despite overall declines in carbonated soft drink sales.25 Although this instance is anecdotal, it is important to note the industry perceives it as an example of effective celebrity endorsements.

<>

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/study-pop-stars-contribute-obesity-pitching-junk-food-article-1.2663231
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/american-women-obese-article-1.2663494

[arithia]

3. Sad, but unsurprising

given that women are more likely to be poor, overworked, over-stressed and underpaid for their labor when compared to men.

Hard to live a healthy life when you cannot afford (money or time wise) to put a healthy meal on the table for yourself or your children.

[Runningdawg]

4. Boomer women

have hit menopause, and a lot can't afford, or refuse to take hormones that might help with the weight gain.
Men stay steady because while there might be a drop in their hormones, fixing the problem is as easy as visiting a Dr for Testosterone.
Also, I said this in the fat acceptance thread - the trend will continue until the medical community uses every item at their disposal to help fight it; drugs, surgery, counseling and physical therapy. Sadly Drs have no intention of curing anyone, fat shaming is a multi trillion dollar business in the USA.

[TexasBushwhacker]

5. Many women can't take HRT

If you have any family or personal history of breast, uterine or ovarian cancer, you cannot take HRT.

[cannabis_flower]

14. I never had

a doctor who recommended it and every time I read something about it, it contradicts the previous thing I read.

[proverbialwisdom]

6. JAMA: 35% of men, 40% of women and 17% of children and adolescents are obese in the US.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/07/health/obesity-trends-women-men-teens/index.html

Obesity increases in U.S women, study finds

By Jessica Ravitz, CNN
Updated 1:52 PM ET, Tue June 7, 2016

CNN - There doesn't appear to be much headway being made in the battle to curb obesity in the United States, according to a pair of studies released Tuesday.
Updated findings show that 35% of men, 40% of women and 17% of children and adolescents are obese, according to two articles published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

These figures remain high in spite of the "hundreds of millions of dollars" that have been pumped into research, trials, observational studies, community and hospital programs, and the development of devices and drugs, said an accompanying JAMA editorial.

There are also the attempts of schools, communities, companies and places of worship to control weight gain, but the country's three-decades-old obesity epidemic is hanging on strong.

"Although it is impossible to know what the extent of the obesity epidemic would have been without these efforts, the data reported ... certainly do not suggest much success," wrote Dr. Jody Zylke and Dr. Howard Bauchner, the deputy editor and editor in chief, respectively, of JAMA.

<>

The editorial writers, Zylke and Bauchner, wondered whether genetics might "unlock some of the mysteries of obesity" but added that this course of discovery would take time. Prevention, they said, must remain the focus for now, even if current initiatives seem to have made little difference.

"Perhaps it is time for the medical and public health communities to embrace a relationship with the food and restaurant industries," they wrote. "These industries have been good at developing and successfully marketing unhealthy foods; perhaps it will be possible for them to develop and market healthy foods."

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2526639
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2526638
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2526613

[MrMickeysMom]

8. Nothing is easy about this statistic, least of all how expensive it is to treat co-morbidities...

* High Blood Pressure

* Type II Diabetes

* Stroke

* Joint replacement

* Depression

* Obstructive Sleep Apnea

* Loss of meaningful work environment (discrimination in work environment)

Cheap food and poverty wages is no way to go through life. Who really wants this quality of life? Many are depressed, which is bad when you need to be active. There isn't much time to be physically active, lest you think exercise alone is key, though it's the most beneficial way to battle extra calories.

Our society is not doing very well, and this is but one sign of it falling into complete crisis. The health care delivery system cannot afford to treat the costs associated with obesity and it's co-morbidity.

[NickB79]

16. Which helps explains why health care costs in the US are so insane

So many of us are so damn sick from all the co-morbidities associated with obesity.

[bananas]

11. 57% of black women, 47% of Hispanic women, 38% of white women, and 12% of Asian women are obese.

http://www.usnews.com/news/news/articles/2016-06-07/for-the-first-time-more-than-4-in-10-us-women-are-obese

More Than 40 Percent of U.S. Women Are Obese

The nation's obesity epidemic continues to grow, led by an alarming increase in obesity among women.

June 7, 2016, at 11:06 a.m.

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation's obesity epidemic continues to grow, led by an alarming increase among women. For the first time, more than 4 in 10 U.S. women are obese, according to new government health statistics.

Obesity rates for men and women in the U.S. had been roughly the same for about a decade. But in recent years, women have surged ahead and now just over 40 percent of women are obese, compared to 35 percent of men.

<snip>

About 57 percent of black women are obese. In contrast, about 47 percent of Hispanic women, 38 percent of white women, and 12 percent of Asian women are obese.

Among men of different races, obesity rates cluster much closer together — at 35 to 38 percent for blacks, Hispanics, and whites.

<snip>

[GOLGO 13]

13. 12% of Asian women?

Can't tell you the last time I saw an overweight Asian period. They really got a handle on this.

[snooper2]

19. diet, being health conscious, not being lazy,

What I find sad is overweight woman in the store with 3-4-5-6 year old children that are already obese...

[EL34x4]

22. I see them at Walmart all the time, usually driving a motorized shopping cart

I always thought these carts were for older shoppers. The other day I saw several in use, all being operated by younger, overweight women with their children following behind.

I try not to be judgmental but, damn, it was sad. Simply walking the aisles at Walmart was just too much physical exertion.

[maxsolomon]

20. I see it in Seattle

Not a lot, but I do see it. Some Korean ladies, some Filipino ladies.

[laundry_queen]

25. I see it quite a bit where I live

It does depend on the ethnicity, some more than others.

I work with many Chinese women - who were born and raised in China - and most are thin - very very thin, like size 0 thin, only one of them is large. They all eat tons of food. I'm talking 3-4 times as much as the rest of us. Their lunches are massive. They don't just eat rice and vegetables either. Half the time they grab the free ramen noodles our company supplies and eat those in addition to their lunches (which are usually large quantities of rice, with some veggies and meat, but often deep fried dumplings or other things, with a lot of different sauces, sometimes one will bring those to share). They go to the nearby convenience stores at lunch and grab chips and chocolate and candies, yogurt and cheese and yes, healthy fruit. They have quite the stash at their desks. They eat constantly, all day, both junk and healthy food, but lots of junk. Far more than us Canadian-born workers. We all exercise the same - most people in our office have fitbits and we have competitions. So why are they so thin and the rest of us are quite heavy? Us white girls eat salads or raw veggies or homemade vegetable soup for lunch and the Chinese women make fun of us for eating so little, "You will pass out! that is NOT enough food! I feel like I'm starving looking at your lunch!" I think there is likely a bit of genetics at play. Yes, they eat rice, meat and veggies. My family always ate veggies, potatoes and/or rice (usually white mixed w/wild rice because my mom was a 'health nut' back in the day and you couldn't get brown back then) and then meat too. The women at work said they don't like to exercise, walking at work is all they do. Exercise is all my family did - sports, walking, running, biking, hiking, skiing, skating...etc. Even my mom, who is quite thin by North American standards, is very thick compared to most of the Chinese women at my work. I think a good part of it is genetics and not necessarily culture - they stop at McDonald's for breakfast in the morning sometimes too, lol.

[threethirteen]

12. It's kinda hard for me to believe that 40% of women are lazy and eat too much cake. n/t

[NickB79]

15. For my wife, it's soda

She can drink a 2-liter of Coke in a day if she's not paying attention.

It's not eating mass quantities of food at once, but mindless snacking multiple times a day that's the culprit, IMO: http://www.vox.com/2015/2/17/8051367/obesity-snacks

[maxsolomon]

21. Here's what I did:

Stop drinking soda entirely. I miss it, but I don't miss the 140 calories per 16 oz.

Stop eating carbohydrate-intense snacks. Switch to nuts: almonds, pistachios...

[RobinA]

17. I Am Neither

lazy nor do I eat cake. I had a BMI of 18 naturally until menopause came along and shot that right to heck. I eat half what I used to and work out. I refuse to starve myself, so I weigh in heavier than I would like to be. According to the ever lowering charts I am obese, although I don't think you would look at me and call me obese. I wear L and XL. You can't look 20 forever.

[ananda]

18. I took grains and high glycemic carbs out of my diet.

What a huge difference that makes.

I eat three times a day and that's it.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

23. low calorie diets slow your metabolism down.

Source: Study of contestants on the Biggest Lose that had gained back the weight they lost. Their metabolism was permanently slower.

[laundry_queen]

26. Yep.

Can you imagine permanently having to eat 1/3 of what the rest of your family is eating? Just to maintain SOME weight loss (not even to look like a movie star, just to keep from weighing several hundred pounds!) All the while your body is urging you to eat and you feel famished all of the time? Not likely sustainable.

I still harbor a lot of resentment towards my mothers who put me on at least 3 low calorie diets as a teen. And I was NOT overweight by much to begin with. I just had a look at the BMI tables...My BMI was 25 the first 2 times she put me on a diet, and then 26 the third time she put me on a diet. I wonder if she me up for a lifetime of obesity by messing with my metabolism. ugh.

[proverbialwisdom]

24. PARADIGM SHIFT -> Not simply calories, not only food.

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/more-food-fewer-chemicals
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/4-ways-avoid-toxic-chemicals-food-packaging
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/9-ways-avoid-hormone-disrupting-chemicals
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/dirt-antibacterial-soaps

https://www.nrdc.org/experts/veena-singla/every-little-bit-hurts-epa-ignores-chemical-exposures-putting-our-health-risk
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/kristi-pullen/identifying-endocrine-disrupting-chemicals-using-toxcast-and-authoritative
http://usgbc-california.org/thyroid-and-kids-brains-using-modern-tools-to-screen-food-chemicals/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101695775

Science, not advertising.

[GOLGO 13]

27. Intense weight training & consistent cardio/(boxing) is what did it for me

In fact if I have to skip my workouts I get moody. I didn't even realize how exercise becomes just part of the everyday routine.