Obesity is literally a growing problem and one that is trickling down to our nation’s children. Perhaps it is due to our sedentary lifestyle that requires us to sit in traffic, sit at our desks, sit in the drive through line, etc.
According to the CDC, “Obesity is common, serious and costly. In 2009-2010, more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) were obese.”
According to Heart.org, 2013 obesity statistics show that “Among Americans age 20 and older, 154.7 million are overweight or obese with 79.9 million of them men and 74.8 million of them women.” A new study in the Journal of Obesity looks at the effect obesity has on our nation’s women and their activity level or their lack of activity level.
While it is a no-brainer that those who are obese tend to be less active, this study as recently reported on U.S. News and World Report, specifically looked at the cycle of obesity and lack of activity.
“It appears that physical inactivity and obesity may be involved in a feedback loop, in which lower levels of activity lead to weight gain, which then leads to lower levels of activity."
Investigators claim that this is the first study specifically looking at how obesity has a “negative impact on an individual's activity habits.”
According to the CDC, “Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death.”
One of the study team investigators acknowledged to USNews.com that "... physical inactivity is also independently associated with many of the same chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, we don't often think about factors that influence activity levels."
The study looked at more than 250 middle-aged women who were monitored with accelerometers to record their activity levels for a week. They were then asked to wear the accelerometers 20 months later for another week.
Their body compositions were noted at the beginning of the study and at the study’s conclusion. The result as reported on USNews.com showed that “Among the obese participants, physical activity was found to drop by 8 percent overall over the course of the 20-month study period. Non-obese women, on the other hand, showed no drop in their physical activity routines.”
The physical impact of obesity may seem obvious, but there is also a psychological impact or effect on someone's self-esteem when they are obese, as reported on USNews.com. One area which was not mentioned in this particular study was the socio-economic or education level of the female study participants.
Statistics from the CDC, however shows that overall, “Higher income women are less likely to be obese than low-income women. Those with college degrees are less likely to be obese compared with less educated women. "
As someone who was formerly obese and who has strived for more than a decade to encourage women especially to take control of their health, I can say, you cannot put a price tag on your health. It is the most important aspect of your life.
When you gain control of your health, you gain so much more and I am not talking pounds! Getting healthy positively and literally effects your bottom line.
Online References:
“Obesity Data – CDC.gov.” The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Web 9 April 2013.
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
“Statistical Fact Sheet 2013 Overweight and Obese – Heart.org.” The American Heart Association. Web 9 April 2013.
http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_319588.pdf
“Obesity Does Slow People Down – Health.USNews.com.” US News and World Report. Web 9 April 2013.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/04/05/obesity-does-slow-people-down-study-confirms
Joanne Sgro-Killworth is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is Certified in Pilates, Pre-natal/Post-Partum, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training.
Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.fitnessanswer.com/ She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her husband and son, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.
Reviewed April 10, 2013
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith