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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Obesity, Lack Of Insurance Cited In U.S. Health Gap

Overeating, lack of health insurance access and comparatively high poverty are among the many reasons why Americans are less healthy and die younger than people in other wealthy countries, a report requested by the U.S. government showed on Wednesday.

The United States spends more per person on healthcare than any other nation but lags on many important health measures amid higher rates of obesity and heart disease and worse infant mortality rates than other rich countries.

The 404-page report by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, which provide advice to U.S. policymakers, compared the health of Americans to that of people in 16 other rich countries. They included Canada, Japan, Australia and 13 western European countries including Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany.

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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eating like little piglets at fast food joints has a lot to do with it too.

Anonymous said...

A HUGE part of the obesity in the U.S. is on the food stamp program. So many are receiving food stamps and there are no stipulations on what can, and can not, be purchased. The food stamp program should be strictly for fruits, vegetables and protein. Snacks, soda should not be allowable items. This would greatly improved the foods the children in this country are getting.
The WIC program is very specific in what is allowable. These children are getting a better start in life due to the stipulations in place.

Anonymous said...

Obama voters talking on their Obama Cell Phone, and waiting for their Obama Bus.

Queensgirl52 said...

We're all responsible for our own choices in the end, but it would help a lot if chain restaurants would stop marketing large amounts of unhealthy food as a bargain. I saw a commercial (I think it was Hardee's) for something called the "Big Bag Lunch:" two cheeseburgers (which looked as big as Big Macs), a big container of fries, a drink and an apple turnover. No one should be eating like this! And how about IHOP? French toast stuffed with cream cheese and pancakes with whipped cream. This is supposed to be breakfast? Why not just have a hot fudge sundae? One of the pizza chains has something called the "Big Box," which comes with pizza, bread sticks and some other stuff. Who needs pizza and bread sticks at the same meal? All these places present these meals as a better deal money-wise than a more reasonable amount of food.

Anonymous said...

If you go into any of the "titled" schools in which the majority of the students are from below poverty level wages obesity is a hugh problem. They think Fruit Rollups and Fruit Cocktail cups are fruit and PopTarts are a healthy breakfast.
It's not from eating out Queensgirl as most of these families can't afford to.
1:11 is correct and all food entitlement programs should be modeled off of WIC.
This is why the Obama wife's project of childhood obesity is silly. If she were really serious she would lobby for the same regs as WIC.

Anonymous said...

Lack of self control and complete lack of self discipline have been the results of the Welfare state--we have bred a group of entitled hedonistic violent morons who only strive for instant gratification. Congratulations Democrats for creating the "Gimmedats"

Anonymous said...

Bring back smoking.

Anonymous said...

amen 2:54
maybe parents should take responsibility for there kids and maybe parents should earn there own money to pay for there own food and maybe it would change.

Anonymous said...

No SODA or candy should be on the SNAP program.

Anonymous said...

i will have three triples and could you super size that. oh and a diet soda.

Anonymous said...

They forgot ignorance.

Queensgirl52 said...

So only public assistance recipients are obese? The article stated near the end that even more affluent and better-educated Americans are less healthy than their counterparts in other developed countries. The food items I mentioned in the other post can't be bought with SNAP, nor can the 32-oz. drinks Bloomberg went to war against in NYC. There's obviously a demand for them (the people in NY screamed bloody murder over the giant sodas) or they wouldn't be available. The mindset in this country is to favor large quantities of unhealthy food, and the restaurants are contributing to the problem by promoting them as a bargain.

Anonymous said...

Queensgirls, there is a direct correlation between poverty and obesity. While obesity rates increased recently by 10% for ALL US children 10-17 yrs of age, it increased by 23% for low income children in the same age group.
A recent national study found that children from lower income households had more than 2 times higher odds of being obese than children from higher income households.