Issues of obesity are receiving attention recently. USA Today noted in September that the Centers for Disease Control recently issued a report concluding that "the number of states with high obesity rates nearly doubled over two years." The Pandemic has been a challenge for many, with impacts professional and personal. The tenor of this article is that "pandemic stress" has fed the growth in our girth. The report notes that "16 states had obesity rates of 35% or more in 2020." In 2018, there were nine. That is disturbing. However, the more disturbing point is that "Just two decades ago, no state had an adult obesity rate above 25%." There is clearly a pattern, and the trend is not positive.
It is not just the macro (state) analysis that is of interest. U.S. News reports that "42% of adults in the U.S. reported gaining an undesired amount of weight" in a recent poll. Some have joking referenced "The COVID 19" (note the lack of hyphen), a attempt at humorous reference to the "19 pounds I gained during the pandemic." Yale Medical references a similar play on words with the "Quarentine-15." Catchy, yes. Humorous, perhaps not so much. 15 pounds is too easy to gain and can be hard to lose. I have personally spent most of my adult life struggling with weight.
I cannot help but recall a line from the control tower scene in Airplane (Paramount 1980). One of the characters mentions, out of context, that another named Leon is "getting larger." Maybe we all are? Leon looks at his coworker askance and pinches his own waistline in apparent doubt or disbelief. Are we honest with each other, and with ourselves on this topic? In today's world of "I'm O.K., you're O.K.," are we honest with friends and family about the need to lose a few pounds?
The implications are of note with some now openly calling for the denial of medical care to those who do not satisfy critic's perceptions of appropriate self-care. When Obamacare was passed, there were those who saw the potential there for rationing medical care. See The Washington Times Obamacare death panels should be ended. Many decry that terminology and insist that rationing could/would never happen in America. See U.S. News The Truth behind Obamacare Death Panels and NPR From the Start Obamacare Struggled with Fallout from a kind of Fake News. See Science, Standards, and Government (April 2020) for more on obesity and the challenges it posed with COVID-19
Obesity is an expensive challenge. The USA Today notes "obesity is linked" to a variety of medical conditions. It is perhaps causative or at least exacerbating. The article mentions "type-2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and many types of cancer." According to the authors, obesity "increases health spending by $149 billion a year." What we have learned in the last 18 months is that obesity also "raises the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and death." Will those who advocate no medical intervention for those who fail to vaccinate be as vociferous, immature, and crass regarding those who are obese or who fail to manage their diabetes or similar? Some insist we are better than that, but there is perhaps uncertainty nonetheless.
Despite the risks, obesity is rising, at least in some areas. The list of states now reporting more than 35% are "Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia." It appears that this is not an issue of which we are oblivious. U.S. News reports that "Americans spend north of $60 billion annually to try to lose pounds." If anything, we seem acutely aware of the problem and yet it continues to grow. If you are keeping track, Dirkson, that is over $200 billion on medical care and attempted prevention ($149B + $60B). You know, "a hundred billion here, a hundred billion there . . .."
The USA Today blames in part a change in our physical activity during the pandemic. Certainly, there have been places in which gym access has been limited by lockdowns. Even where gyms remained open, there may have been distancing constraints, shorter hours, and even patron's own fears. Each limited access. As I traveled, I was pleased to find hotels with an open workout room but was periodically frustrated back to the city sidewalk by capacity restraints (e.g. "two persons permitted at one time"). However, the article also lays the blame on stress. Certainly, there has been stress from the pandemic, work changes, school changes, shopping changes, vacillating mask requirement changes, and even childish profanity-laced ad-hominem attacks on social media. It has been a stressful time for many. The fact is there has been one notable and persistent consistency throughout the pandemic, inconsistency. Doubt and uncertainty cause stress.
There is also a suggestion of various groups demonstrating higher rates of obesity. A physician is cited concluding that obesity is related to the stress of racism. There might be challenges regarding stress of economic status, and gender. There is a tendency toward our core belief of created equal, but in impact, it is possible that some have been more challenged by COVID-19 than others. The USA author suggests that stress may have changed the way we eat. There is some chance, he explains, that "your cravings for food change when you undergo stress." I know I love comfort food, but that is anecdotal. Do you? The author also suggests that "food insecurity" increased during the pandemic. It cites school closures and changes in families' incomes. The conclusion is seemingly that income impacts access to nutritious food. It is shocking that for some the only chance for a nutritious meal is seemingly at the public school.
In another reference to stress, A study published by Plos.org suggested there is a correlation or perhaps causation between "adverse childhood experiences" and "childhood obesity." Others have found a correlation claiming "childhood adversity has been associated with poor adult health" in a more general sense. Yet another finds a correlation between childhood obesity and adult obesity. So, there are challenges in childhood that produce long-lasting effects. I know some who suffer from very challenging obesity who in fact had very stressful and challenging childhoods. I cannot make the correlation clinically, but some faces came to mind as I read these articles. I also know some who suffer from morbid obesity and have since a very tender age. I am no scientist, but I do personally know anecdotal examples of these propositions.
The Yale Medicine article notes that the "COVID curves," or "Quarentine-15" are not universal: "in fact, there are reports that some people are losing weight." I have been on a personal odyssey to reduce my mass since 2019. I had a good year in 2019 with some reasonably simple changes. Note, I am no nutritionist, no doctor, and no scientist, and am not providing dietary advice. But, I made simple reductions in fast food, carbohydrates, and sugar. I lost weight. I began exercising regularly. I lost weight. I do not crave the exercise, but I do it daily. And, I am now maintaining a healthy weight.
I did not start walking miles a day. I began by walking to the end of my street and back. I added a few steps daily. In 2020, I averaged 7.5 miles per day. That is extreme, but it sure does relieve the stress. I had no gym, no treadmill, no trainer. I simply walked every day, rain or shine. Furthermore, eating right is not the challenge people think. I found lots of fruit and vegetable alternatives to sandwiches and found my grocery bill decreasing markedly by shopping for nutritious food. I convinced myself that apple was as desirable as the cookies.
2020 brought stress. There is no denying that. From various directions, challenges arose. But, we can all learn to recognize stress. We can all find ways to deal with stress. And, it is critically important that we find healthy ways of dealing with stress. While my "go-to" solution used to be a full package of a certain cookie that will remain nameless, the better "go-to" has become a mile walk in my neighborhood. That this works for me is personal, and I note it only as an example. The solution is not for you to do as I do, but to recognize your stress and to find your healthy way of addressing it (beginning with a consultation with your physician). If you desire it, you can accomplish it.
If you are not persistently taking care of yourself, where will you end up? Certainly, we all have those who depend upon us, but as the nice attendant reminds on each flight, "Put your mask on first then assist those around you." If you are not healthy, how can you assist those around you? Obesity is a killer. It is a pandemic with potential way beyond COVID-19. It is time we found a way to address it, and I think that will mean a lot of different solutions for different people, lifestyles, and histories. Regardless, we really need to find a path. As COVID-19 comes to a close, this obesity pandemic is getting away from us and will continue to kill. What will you do about it?
