During a recent Virtual Town Hall meeting in Annandale, Virginia, President Obama continued his campaign to rally support for major healthcare reform in America. The president declared in his address on the need for health care reform: "We need to invest in prevention and wellness that helps Americans live longer and healthier lives. We know this saves money. For example, if we can help somebody control obesity, they are less likely to get diabetes. That means we are going to be saving a whole lot of money in hospital costs. The biggest thing we can do to hold down costs is to change the incentives of the health care system that automatically equates expensive care with good care."
As they related to obesity, the president's comments touched on a subject that has personal significance to my life. Since I was a child, I have struggled with controlling my weight. Frankly, I have failed in my quest for better health. Fortunately for me, I have not yet suffered from diabetes or high blood pressure. But I struggle with serious bronchial and respiratory conditions related directly to being significantly overweight.
As a child, I grew up in an African-American family that believed being "chubby" was a sign of "good health." In fact, my family believed eating food with lots of "meaty fats" and carbohydrates was one way to maintain good health.
My grandma, who I lived with during the early years of my life, was the best cook in our family. She loved to feed me pork chops, ham hocks, fried potatoes, chitterlings, ice cream, cakes and other great desserts. I just loved her! At night, grandma would bring me snacks to munch on before I'd go to sleep. The only time I would exercise was running from the bedroom to the kitchen and back to bed before she caught me robbing the refrigerator.
Unfortunately for me, at age 16, I stopped growing. Instead of becoming a linebacker for the Washington Redskins, I became a sports fan watching the games on television every Sunday rather than exercising and maintaining my diet every day. As a child, I hated to exercise, but I did occasionally ride my bike to school, and I raced to the cafeteria to get in the front of the line at lunchtime. My poor eating habits as a youth resulted in my obesity as an adult. Last year, my doctor diagnosed me with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and now I can only walk short distances before stopping to rest and catch my breath.
According to a recent article published in the Tacoma News Tribune newspaper entitled, "Obesity Is Nation's Biggest Health Threat," the latest study on Americans' waistlines concludes that "the country is getting fatter." The waistline study was conducted by the Trust for America's Health. The report concluded that "while largely a confirmation of what any sighted person already knows, obesity also provides a timely reminder of a big factor driving up the cost of overhauling the nation's health care system."
The Tacoma News-Tribune' story also revealed the following facts:
• No state had an obesity rate greater than 20% in 1991, but now every state but Colorado does.
• The Baby Boomer generation's rate of obesity is higher than prior generations, which points to pending problems for Medicare.
• The first phase of retirements among Baby Boomers is expected to increase the total of obese patients in the Medicare system by 5.2 percentage points, to 16.3 percent.
As I sit here completing this column, my wife has prepared me a "low-fat dinner" including lamp chops and a delicious salad with mayonnaise to go along with a big baked potato with butter, salt and pepper.
"Oh well," as comedian Jackie Gleason used to say on the Honeymooners, "away we go!"
Although I joke, permit me to make myself perfectly clear. As it relates to maintaining good health, obesity is no laughing matter.
Related article:
* Obesity is nation's biggest health threat, The News Tribune
Ronald Ellerbe is editor of Hub City News and columnist for LA Beez.
Collage by LA Beez; graphic for collage from www.nlm.nih.gov
Leave a comment