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Ohio 13th fattest state; two-thirds of county overweight

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By Amelia Robinson, Staff Writer 10:10 PM Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Ohio is the 13th most obese state in the nation, according to a report released Tuesday, June 29, reconfirming a crisis officials call alarming.

“The bottom line is that people need to take care of themselves because if they don’t, they will die sooner (prematurely) and the quality of their life will be compromised,” said James Gross, Public Health - Dayton and Montgomery County health commissioner.

The results of the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010” are reflected in Montgomery County, he said.

Gross estimated that a third of adults in Montgomery county have a healthy weight, with the rest being overweight or obese. In the state, 29 percent of adults are considered obese.

James Marks, senior vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said obesity is not just health concern. He said companies consider weight statistics when they decide where to locate.

“They don’t want to move where health care cost will be higher and productivity is going to be lower,” he said.

Mississippi is the nation’s fattest state, followed by Alabama and Tennessee, which tied.

The situation is bleakest for minorities.

The state’s adult obesity rate was 40.9 percent for blacks and 32.5 percent for Latinos, compared with 28.3 percent among whites.

Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America’s Health, said the safety of neighborhoods, education, access to grocery stores and economic disparities are among factors that contribute to obesity in states like Ohio.

“It really is income that is a major drive of this epidemic,” he said.

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You would think that they would have the available time, wouldn't you?

But that's where hopelessness, despair, & depression set in. People give up on themselves. (Not that this makes it any better, but it's a factor none the less.)

I hope you can see that it's not always about "laziness". There are economic as well as psychological angles to the "obesity problem".
And admonishing folks to "eat right & exercise" is not exactly helpful for every situation.

NCF
2:29 PM, 7/1/2010

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I see your point, NCF. But don't you think people who are eating poorly because of their economic situation can still stay relatively thin by exercising to compensate as much as they can? That's my point--"it's not about a gym membership."

Adam
1:07 PM, 7/1/2010

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Sure, there is cheap healthy food.

However, unhealthy food is cheaper yet. And I don't necessarily mean the Value Menu at the fast food venues.

When you are on a very limited income, the box of Helper seems a bargain. It will feed more for less than the healthy food will cost. And so on. The unhealthy cheap foods are abundant.

That is the main reason why economic factors influence weight gains. People can't afford to eat right, so they don't. It's not about a gym membership.

NCF
10:22 AM, 7/1/2010

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It's all Obama's fault. Stimulate the economy and people have extra money to eat and be fat.

Fatass
1:53 AM, 7/1/2010

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It's great how all these thin people give weight loss advice to obese people. If you've never been fat then shut up. Anyone who has lost over 100 pounds WITHOUT SURGERY & kept it off for 2 years - share your story. For the idiot who says you should eat the $5 footlong - that's 2 meals when $5 would buy days of meals when it's PB&J or Eggs & Toast. Out of touch Obama Lovin Liberals think they have all the answers... try to feed yourself on $15 a week & tell me how that works on your diet plan.

GetReal
11:19 PM, 6/30/2010

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