Breaking news!  Americans are getting fatter.

Yeah yeah yeah, pass the chips.  We’ve gotten so used to Brian Williams calmly warning us of our national weight problem every few months that we are not even shocked anymore.  In August, however, it was a different story.  For the first time in a while, the headlines said that the national childhood obesity rate went down.

That’s right.

The national childhood obesity rate for kids between the ages of two and four dropped from 18% in 2010 to 17% this year (USA Today).

Although this good news is welcome, a one percent decrease is not enough cause to break out the celebratory cake.  We are certainly not out of the danger zone yet.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “body weight gain is the result of genes, metabolism, behavior, environment, culture, and not getting enough physical activity.”  We all know that eating habits and lack of exercise contribute to obesity, but environment and culture also share the blame.

Many of us remember our parents not allowing us to leave the table before finishing our whole meal.  We are told that “there are starving children in Africa” and that we should eat everything up.  However, if the portions are too big, it is best that we do not clean our plates.  Stuffing ourselves full will not do anything for the hungry children in Africa.  It’s better that we eat a reasonable amount and not waste food by throwing it away.

Besides overeating, not exercising enough can also contribute to obesity.  However, getting fit isn’t necessarily as easy as it might seem.

Some neighborhoods, predominantly in urban areas, do not have the luxury of sidewalks and are not safe enough for children to run around for exercise.

Some communities do not have youth sports teams, and if they do, they can be very expensive to join because of uniform and membership fees.  In addition, working parents do not always have the time to shuttle their kids to practices and games.

When kids hit high school, many schools decide that physical education classes are no longer a priority.

When gyms, playgrounds and sports fields are closed during non-school hours, kids find alternatives to exercising — like staying inside and watching TV for hours at a time.

All these factors are causing Americans to lead increasingly sedentary lives and become more and more overweight.

Another obstacle for people living in urban areas is the overwhelming number of fast food chains compared to grocery stores.  There seems to be a Wendy’s or Taco Bell on every street corner.  As long as it’s quicker and cheaper to get a 1100-calorie meal at Popeye’s or McDonald’s than fresh fruit from a grocery store or produce market, obesity will continue to be a problem.

Congress recently passed a bill aimed at trimming the budget that included a provision to cut funding for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).  Unfortunately, those affected by the cuts include 22 million children and 9 million elderly people who will see their benefits go down from an already inadequate $1.50 to $1.40 per meal.

The House is proposing a new bill that would cut $20.5 billion from the SNAP budget over the next ten years.  When families have less money to spend on meals, they overwhelmingly go for cheaper foods, ie. junk food, over more expensive healthy choices.

Luckily, organizations like WIC (Women, Infants and Children) are encouraging benefit recipients to make healthier choices like buying fresh fruit rather than sugary fruit juice.  The USDA Food and Nutrition Service Web Site says “WIC participants receive checks or vouchers to purchase specific foods each month that are designed to supplement their diets with specific [beneficial] nutrients…”

According to The Washington Post, “Keeping the national obesity rate where it is would avoid $550 billion in extra health spending over the next two decades.”

Being overweight or obese can lead to other serious health problems like diabetes, glaucoma and heart disease, which all drive up insurance costs.  Business Week recently reported that the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States is due to medical bills.  It just makes financial sense for Americans to get in shape.
Just as losing a few pounds does not automatically guarantee continued health for the rest of your life, dropping a few percentage points from the obesity rate doesn’t mean that America’s children will be inherently healthier.  Although one would not necessarily expect it, our health as a nation is more than just a medical issue; it’s a financial, social and political one as well.   Our collective health should be treated as an issue of national security, but until we as a nation make some major lifestyle and fundamental changes, obesity will continue to be an problem.