Perhaps the Future is Unfolding

It must be that once you write about something, you become more sensitive to seeing that subject in print. Or at least it seems that way ever since I wrote a post on the Thompson MedStat study on "Lifestyle & Obesity", and concluded in a followup comment to that article that "one day, the cost [of obesity] to society as a whole will be recognized, and then I think there will be a different environment - but I have no idea what that will look like."

Well, first it was the state of Arkansas [and 15 others according to the article], and now it's the public health care system in Great Britian which is in the early stages of reintroducing the "school medical" - eliminated in the early '70's - to combat rising obesity in school aged children. As part of the program, 100's of students will be weighed to gather statistics on the current state of the problem, and "it is likely that parents of children seen to have weight problems will be alerted."

And it's not just children that have been targeted in Great Britian. "Thousands of GPs [doctors] will carry out 'intensive lifestyle interventions' after a nationwide study shows they lead to long-term weight loss. ... Impressive results from the nationwide Counterweight Project involving 2,000 obese patients found it led to sustained reductions in weight, blood pressure and cholesterol."

And in the small Australian town of Colac, the entire town - parents, schools, fast food outlets, nutritionists, and local media - got together to get the expanding waistlines of their children under control. Over a three year period, the program was a resounding success, reducing both the weight and waistlines of the children. A program such as this reenforces my personal opnion that Australia is one of the countries with the most effective programs to fight the global obesity crisis. [Singapore is the other.]

So perhaps it's becoming clear that active intervention on the part of doctors, schools and communities is going to be part and parcel of the solution to obesity. It may becoming clear that just speaking up can achieve measurable results.

PostScript

Unfortunately, I still don't think the US government has a clue. For example, the new MyPyramid.gov site is supposed to guide individuals to a healthier diet. Yet, what does it do? If I plug in my age (60), gender, and moderate activity, first thing it tells me is that I am supposed to eat 8oz of grains, 3 cups vegteables, 2 cups fruit, 3 cups milk, and 6.5 oz of meat and beans. Holy cow! I am going to starve to death! I have no idea how many ounces of grains I eat a day, but 8 oz does not sound like much! I am tempted to blow this off before I even get started - shades of Dr 3oz Chicken. There has to be a better way to motivate healthy eating styles than to immediately focus on what you can't eat any more. The Road to Reduction uses a path of self discovery, first emphasizing what is happening now and requiring only small, incremental commitments to change as the process continues. Naturally I think this is a better approach - I wrote it! In any event, it is fortunate that there are many other sites, such as the Harvard School of Public Health, that present health, fitness, and weight control in much more positive manner than the US government.