Hoosiers, we’re getting fatter. Our waistlines are growing, our health is declining, and no one seems to be taking the warnings seriously.
Indiana’s adult obesity rate grew to 31.8 percent in 2013, ninth-highest in the country, according to the 11th annual obesity report released last week by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Adult obesity is defined as having a body mass index of 30 or more.
Over the past five years, Hoosiers’ waistlines have steadily expanded. In 2009, 27.4 percent of Indiana residents were obese, 16th-highest in the U.S. Indiana’s adult obesity rate rose to 28.1 percent in 2010 (17th), 29.1 percent in 2011 (15th), and 31.4 percent in 2012 (tied for eighth).
That trend is a concern. Obesity is a rapidly growing public health crisis that, according to these most recent figures, is affecting nearly a third of all Hoosier adults.
Treating obesity and obesity-related health conditions costs nearly $190 billion each year. In fact, one report, says obesity now costs Americans more in health care spending than smoking.
In the 2013 rankings, the only chubbier states than Indiana are Mississippi and West Virginia (35.1 percent), Arkansas (34.6 percent), Tennessee (33.7 percent), Kentucky (33.2 percent), Louisiana (33.1 percent), Oklahoma (32.5 percent), and Alabama (32.4 percent).
The slimmest state was Colorado, with an obesity rate of 21.3 percent. It was followed by Hawaii (21.8 percent), Washington, D.C. (22.9 percent) and Massachusetts (23.6 percent).
That means, outside of the South, Indiana is No. 1 in obesity.
There is no easy answer to the obesity epidemic that is gripping our state and nation. Fitness programs and healthy eating initiatives work, but only if individuals make the decision to take part in them and resolve to shrink their waistlines.
Obesity has risen 34 percent since 1960, and morbid obesity is six times higher than it was 50 years ago.
It’s time for Americans to make healthier menu choices, cutting calories instead of consuming them. And an active lifestyle is imperative. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the average adult needs 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. That could be a total of two hours and 30 minutes of brisk walking. Or, you can opt for 75 minutes of vigorous activity, such as jogging or running, each week.
And the CDC reports that can come 10 minutes at a time, if needed.
But it all comes down to resolve. Americans, and that includes Hoosiers, must make the choice to partake in a healthy lifestyle that has to include exercise and portion-control.
No one claims it’s easy to lose weight, but the health of our nation depends on it.