A look at the latest on the financial burdens of obesity, junk-food marketing to children, soda bans, and more
My mailbox is overflowing with new reports and commentary about obesity. Here are some examples:
State medical expenses: The journal Obesity has an analysis of the cost of obesity to states. Obesity costs states an additional 7 to 11 percent in medical expenses. Between 22 percent (Virginia) and 55 percent (Rhode Island) of state costs of obesity are paid by taxpayers through Medicare and Medicaid.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation series on preventing childhood obesity:
- Food marketing to children: U.S. Businesses Show Mixed Progress on Marketing a Healthy Diet to Children and Adolescents
- Industry self-regulation: Self-Regulation by Food and Beverage Industry Does Little to Reduce Kids' Exposure to Unhealthy TV Ads
- New York City's menu-labeling regulation: Customers Who Use Menu-Labeling Information Order Fewer Calories
- The ban on sugar-sweetened drinks in Boston schools: Boston High School Students Drinking Fewer Sugary Beverages
From the Campaign to End Obesity:
Obesity Rates Projected to Soar, ABC News, 8.25.11: Will half the U.S. population be obese by 2030? The current trajectory would see 65 million more obese adults, raising the national total to 164 million. Roughly one-third of the U.S. population is currently obese.
