Obesity

The Problem

Rates of obesity has been on the rise for decades.

1999-2000 30% American adults classified as obese; 2015-16 40%

The annual medical cost of obesity estimated at around $149 billion.

Health problems associate with obesity also on the rise:

• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Increased rates of some cancers
• Joint pain
• Cardiovascular disease

Causes

Complex problem with multiple causes

Workplaces can be big culprits; many Americans spend most waking time at work

• Convenience foods are fattening/unhealthy food pizza, donuts, cake, cookies, muffins, bagels
• Food readily available in the break room means we eat more overall
• Food on the go tends to be high in sugar, fat or both.
• Vending machines!

What to do?

Simple answer

• Eat less, move more (hard for everyone)

Complex answer

1. Avoid the fallacy of “choice”—where you think it’s a personal problem that you just make bad choices. Lots of factors go into the individual choices we make.
2. Beware the myth of ‘will power’. What seems  to be will power is people doing what is easy for them based on personal preference or environmental pressure.
3. Public health solutions—laws and policies including tax policies that make healthful foods cheaper and widely available
4. Workplace wellness programs that look at changing the environment rather than individual behaviors
5. Choose to change your environments to make healthful behaviors more likely and unhealthy behaviors less likely
   1. Bring in veggie tray rather than cookies
   2. Let people know you want to make different health choices
   3. Bring your own food and drink or scout out restaurants and stores in advance that have foods that are better for you
   4. Reduce portion size (1/2 cookie, ¼ muffin)
   5. Go for a walk at lunch or break time

We can bring props to show a lunch box (bring your lunch to work) better snack choices (nuts or berries in portion sized containers) menus with better choices highlighted.