Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Home › News › Local News

Though still slim, Colorado's obesity rate is growing

By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 19, 2008 at 9:18 a.m.
Updated August 20, 2008 at 12:43 a.m.

Text size  

More Local News

More stories »

When foreigners call the U.S. a fat country, people here can say: "Don't blame me; I'm from Colorado."

Coloradans are packing on the pounds, but still rank lowest in obesity among the 50 states, according to the fifth annual "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America" report.

In Colorado, 18.4 percent of adults are obese, which is beyond overweight, marking the second year in a row that that percentage has grown here, the report says.

Still, Colorado is the only state in which fewer than one in five adults is obese.

Not a single state saw a decrease in the percentage of obese adults, according to the report funded by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Report authors used data from the Centers for Disease Control's 2005-2007 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Surveys.

The report concludes that while many promising policies have emerged to promote exercise, those aren't being implemented in the right way. It calls America's obesity epidemic "a health crisis."

Ranking just behind Colorado in lowest percentage of obese adults were Hawaii, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Colorado shouldn't be smug, because its obesity rate is growing and it's nowhere near a model state in promoting exercise and good nutrition, say the authors.

* Colorado is not one of the 13 states that actively enforce laws mandating physical education in public schools.

* Colorado is one of 18 states requiring school meals to exceed USDA nutrition standards, but not one of the seven that have specific enforcement requirements.

* Colorado is one of 10 states that do not include coverage for nutrition assessment and counseling for overweight kids on Medicaid.

* Colorado is one of 20 states that don't explicitly cover nutrition and consulting services for obese adults under Medicaid.

Getting larger now

* Thinnest state: Colorado - 18.4 percent of adults are obese

* Next five: Hawaii, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island, all at 21 percent

* Most obese state: Mississippi - 31.7 percent obesity rate

*Next five: West Virginia, 31 percent; Alabama and Louisiana, 30 percent; South Carolina and Tennessee, 29 percent

* Median state: Illinois - 25.3 percent obesity rate

Comments

  • August 19, 2008

    10:30 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    fifty writes:

    This study is a good reality check. In comparison to other states, Colorado looks good, but in reality it merely has an "F+" among the "F's" and "F-'s."

    Over the decade, the growth in the entertainment market has resulted in people spending more time in stationary positions. We feel happiest in a climate controlled environment, with our entertainment systems and our Internet access. Unfortunately, our stomachs are sized to accommodate physically activity. The shift to sedentary behavior has been swift and the evolution of our stomach size will take time.

    Colorado has weathered the cultural change the best of any state and we can be proud of that. However, as the study points out, we need another cultural change. Due to the first cultural change, we need to consciously do what came naturally in the past, which is to physically exert ourselves. If not, we need a diet pill that works or we need to accept the fact that we'll die early of heart disease or diabetes rather than old age. Early death circumstances may present significant discomfort, but it isn't absolutely necessary to make longevity our goal given that the world is severely overpopulated.

    It is important to make a conscious choice rather than do what feels good now and suffer the major consequences later. One gets the feeling that immediate gratification in the form of oral gratification and passive entertainment is taking over people's lives without considering health and longevity issues.

  • August 19, 2008

    10:43 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    yeastyc writes:

    I think its not just the sedentary state, its the processed food--poor people eat more crap food because its cheaper relative to healthier options like fruits and vegetables and lean meats.

  • August 19, 2008

    11:10 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    anderson writes:

    Will Paul Campos write another article telling us obesity isn't really a problem? A "health crisis" says the CDC. What's really sad is seeing the children who have this problem. Wake up America. If you want to talk dollars, the health care costs, shared indirectly by all of us, are enormous.

    There is no single cause for obesity. However, industry clearly has contributed to the problem in their marketing of fast and convenience food, and in their marketing of video games. The effect cannot be ignored. We do not see any ads encouraging kids to run outside because this isn't making anybody any money. The President of the United States and the Governors *should be* taking a role in this problem. They have the bully pulpit. Sadly, as with many other policy issues, money talks, and the food industry and their lobbyists have a presence in our state and national capitols.

  • August 19, 2008

    12:11 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Retread writes:

    Darn, they must be wrong, I just got back from Wal-Mart and could not travel half the aisles because of the fat in motorized three wheelers, talking on their earbud cell phones! It must a localized thing? Maybe all the thin folks are in Boulder? LOL

  • August 19, 2008

    12:16 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    KindaWeak writes:

    Why do people believe that the government has to do something about this? Take some individual responsibility and enforce others taking responsibility. One of the driving forces behind this is Political Correctness and its "don't point out the truth, and don't embarrass them" credo. It is pretty clear from the timeline given above that there is a strong correlation between the rise of Political Correctness in the late 80's early 90's and the rise of obesity in this country. Maybe if we would stop accepting and even pandering to the obese the problem would start to reverse itself. The last thing we need is yet another way for the government to waste more of our money!

  • August 19, 2008

    12:20 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    porkchop writes:

    i wish all you fat people would leave. i bet 18.4 percent take up more like 19.2 percent of our space. yuck.

  • August 19, 2008

    12:30 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    joggle writes:

    Retread: You're partly right. There are definitely a higher percentage of thin people in Boulder than Denver. That's probably at least as much due to people having more money so they can afford better food as well as people generally being more physically active here. But even in Denver the people are generally thinner than other comparable cities. If you really want to see a lot of obese people try going to Houston sometime.

  • August 19, 2008

    12:36 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BigSky182 writes:

    It is not the Government's job to watch my weight. You cannot force people to make healthy choices. The fact that ONLY 1 in 5 people are obese proves that the other 4 made different life choices than the 5th one.

    Does it strike anyone else as odd that the media can report that Hollywood, models, and the fashion industry are making people "too skinny" and ruining people's self-image while simultaneously reporting that America is experiencing an "obesity epidemic"?

    The Government needs to back up and let people run their own lives... and deal with the consequences of their choices.

  • August 19, 2008

    12:58 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    anderson writes:

    We can't force anyone to learn either. Hey, why don't we just close our public schools. And stop give out those free (meaning cost to me) damn vaccinations. After all, it's just a matter of personal responsibility. And I'll be damned if I'll be held responsible for anyone in my community. It's all about me. All it's ever been is about me. I never had any help from my parents, other adults, or the government. I did it ALL on my own. Ain't I somethin' special.

    5 year old struggles to waddle up a small set of stairs as we smugly look upon his fatness and proclaim: "Ya should have taken some personal responsibility, kid".

    BigSky chalks up the problems of the obesity epidemic to a "media conspiracy". Whoo wee, they're out to get us know.

    Who said anything about the government watching your weight.

  • August 19, 2008

    1:25 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    KindaWeak writes:

    anderson "Who said anything about the government watching your weight"

    Did you read the article:

    "Colorado shouldn't be smug, because its obesity rate is growing and it's nowhere near a model state in promoting exercise and good nutrition, say the authors. -- Colorado is not one of the 13 states in the nation that actively enforce the laws mandating physical education in the public schools.

    -- Colorado is one of 18 states with laws requiring school meals to exceed USDA nutrition standards, but not one of the seven that have specific enforcement requirements.

    -- Colorado is one of 10 states that do not include coverage for nutrition assessment and counseling for overweight children on Medicaid.

    -- Colorado is one of 20 states that don't explicity cover nutrition and consulting services for obese adults under Medicaid."

    Hmmm, those all seem like government trying to watch your weight.

    As far as your comment about "We can't force anyone to learn either." that is another perfect example. Look at how well our government schools are educating our children (15+% functional illiteracy rates for public high-school GRADUATES, etc.), maybe if more Parents took responsibility for their child's education instead of using the public school system as government provided childcare we would see improvements there as well.

    The government can continue to flush billions of our hard earned money down the toilet (in fact that seems like one of its core competencies), but without personal responsibility nothing will improve.

  • August 19, 2008

    1:30 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Willy writes:

    I just strained my neck trying to look over my belly to read this article

  • August 19, 2008

    2:24 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    davies writes:

    BigSky182: "The fact that ONLY 1 in 5 people are obese proves that the other 4 made different life choices than the 5th one."

    Some proof! Some people get fat much easier and faster than others. Some people stay skinny without even trying, while others work hard to stay slim and trim. Some people who are only a little overweight now are just riding the train to the obesity station. But we're not all made the same.

    Also another objection I have is to those who automatically want to blame the food industry for obesity, and characterize the poor as victims. The fast food drive up window is NOT cheaper than buying healthier food at the grocery store and cooking it at home. It is EASIER.

    Sometimes people have choices, and they do not make the decisions that are in their best long term interest. Hello? This includes poor people! In many cases this is why they are poor in the first place. If you are not capable of recognizing this fact, you will be forever blaming poor people's problems on others, and somehow believing that you can eliminate all poverty. But poor people are not all the same. Some will take advantage of an opportunity to improve themselves, and, absent immediate gratification, some will not. That's the way it is.

  • August 19, 2008

    2:29 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    TIMMAH writes:

    This news does not reflect at the club/bar scene. There are way too many fatties downtown. I've noticed this disturbing trend in Boulder too.

  • August 19, 2008

    4:04 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Mayor_Quimby writes:

    Fat people will save this country money on health care costs since they most likely wont live long enough to go on medicare.

  • August 19, 2008

    4:25 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BigSky182 writes:

    I personally feel that allowing your child to become obese should qualify as child abuse... because children CAN'T be held accountable for their weight. Grownups, on the other hand, can and should be held accountable.

    We do not need more laws and/or more beuracracy limiting our choices "for our own good".

    I got into a HUGE debate/argument with a College Professor who made the statement that "obesity is a poor man's disease". That's just ludicrous. There are a few, rare exceptions, but for the most part, obesity is a LAZY man's disease. I see no reason at all for the Government to get it's panties in a wad over this.

    Personal health and fitness is a PERSONAL choice... the Government is out-of-bounds getting involved in it.

  • August 19, 2008

    8:36 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    HopiMedicineMan writes:

    Once those fat cells are there, they don't go away without surgery.
    Lose 40 pounds this year, you'll gain 60 next year.

    Avoid empty calories, restaurants and my sister-in-law's dinner invitations.

    All the joggers of the 1970s are fat, succumbing to the absolutely inevitable stress injury.

    The epidemic is so widespread the ufologists believe we're being fattened for harvest.

    It's ultimately hopeless. Nothing can be done. You'll be fat if you aren't already.

  • August 20, 2008

    12:18 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Who_Me writes:

    The ultimate in fat encounters: having a land whale sit in the middle seat on an airplane. The blubber oozes over the arm rest and under it as well, and starts to stick to your skin and clothing, trying to infect you with fat from the whale. Add in some nasty perfume which fails to mask the horrendous B.O., and you wonder why people hate flying? I go to Dairy Queen and gorge on blizzards, then go to WalMart to make myself feel better. I want to ride around in the motorized shopping carts and play murderball and have chariot races, or pretend I'm on a schooner trying to harpoon a whale in aisle 7.

  • August 20, 2008

    3:55 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    almostarmy2003 writes:

    This is Your Moment Of Truth

    Do fat people repulse you LOL!!!!