CDC survey: South leads nation in obesity

[almaty 19]

gross

[Teacher Mark 53]

I'd like to lop them up with some biscuits and gravy! Mmmmmm, mmm.

Edited July 18, 2008 by WideAwakeInTheUSA

[DairyFarmer 1]

Stomach churning.....need a bucket.

Oh its already full.

[almaty 19]

I'd like to lop them up with some biscuits and gravy! Mmmmmm, mmm.

lol...finger licking good...now, where is that bucket, sister?

[pedroh 21]

dude were those chitlings? lolol

the ones ive eaten dont look like that.. they're fried

[almaty 19]

i have eaten them long ago...and yes, they were fried and nsaty..my dad was a fan of them ...

[Teacher Mark 53]

dude were those chitlings? lolol

the ones ive eaten dont look like that.. they're fried

Chitlin Sushi.

[zqt3344 21]

Too much grits and gravy and bacon and BBQ and on it goes and not enough exercise!

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee lead the nation when it comes to obesity, a new government survey reported Thursday.

More than 30 percent of adults in each of the states tipped the scales enough to ensure that the South remains the nation's fattest region.

Colorado was the least obese, with about 19 percent fitting that category in a random telephone survey last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 2007 findings are similar to results from the same survey the three previous years. Mississippi has had the highest obesity rate every year since 2004. But Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia and Louisiana have also clustered near the top of the list, often so close that the difference between their rates and Mississippi's may not be statistically significant.

Why is the South so heavy? The traditional Southern diet -- high in fat and fried food -- may be part of the answer, said Dr. William Dietz, who heads CDC's nutrition, physical activity and obesity division.

The South also has a large concentration of rural residents and black women -- two groups that tend to have higher obesity rates, he said.

Colorado, meanwhile, is a state with a reputation for exercise. It has plentiful biking and hiking trails, and an elevation that causes the body to labor a bit more, Dietz said.

Obesity is based on the body mass index, a calculation using height and weight. A 5-foot, 9-inch adult who weighs 203 pounds would have a BMI of 30, which is considered the threshold for obesity.

CDC officials believe the telephone survey of 350,000 adults offers conservative estimates of obesity rates, because it's based on what respondents said about their height and weight. Men commonly overstate their height and women often lowball their weight, health experts say.

"The heavier you are, the more you underestimate your weight, probably because you don't weigh yourself as often," Dietz said.

Overall, about 26 percent of the respondents were obese, according to the study, published this week in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

A different CDC survey -- a gold-standard project in which researchers actually weigh and measure survey respondents -- put the adult obesity rate at 34 percent in 2005 and 2006, the most recent years for which there are data.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitnes...s.ap/index.html

[almaty 19]

i sent Bosco to do some emperical research ....

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2396/158995...816fb2084_o.jpg

[Caladan 19]

Southern food isn't all that healthy but to be honest, I don't think diets up here in New England are all that much better. Most people aren't eating traditional diets anyway, but stuff that's dependent on packaged products.

C. was working in Texas for a time last year and noticed that a) food was very cheap (half to a third the cost of a typical meal in Connecticut) and b ) it was served in large quantities. Add to that cities that aren't walkable and it's easy for a lack of exercise & lack of portion control to lead to weight gain.

[morocco4ever 63]

This thread is making me hungry. Very disturbing.