Tenn. ranks high in adult, child obesity

by Barbara Mathieson | July 2, 2009 at 03:58 am

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I'm posting this report to both my blogs this morning. I feel that it relates to The Earth is Not a Trash Can because of the large amounts of fast food litter I find in the streets. How many calories does a 32-ounce soda really have? It relates to Life in ObamaNation because of the health care issue. I support affordable health care for all, but I believe that some responsibility should be placed on the individual to take care of her health. And it is hard to eat correctly with way food is manufactured in our country (Food, Inc.). We need to make some major lifestyles changes. Please eat locally grown whole foods, exercise and please, don't litter. And I don't agree that obesity is a genetic condition.

By Chris Echegaray • THE TENNESSEAN • July 2, 2009

State health officials say Tennessee is making progress in fighting fat, but a report released Wednesday still ranked the state fourth in the nation for its percentage of obese adults.

The report from Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showed 30.2 percent of Tennessee adults are obese. It also ranked the state fifth for childhood obesity, with 36.5 percent of youth ages 10-17 in that category.

Tennesseans have to get up from their desks for some physical activity, said Pam Davis, director of the Centennial Center for the Treatment of Obesity in Nashville.

They must stop rewarding themselves with food, she said.

"There's a lot that can be done to fight this, and it starts with us as individuals," Davis said. "I really think the state needs to see obesity as a chronic, multifactorial disease that has a genetic component."