by Art Woolf
Vermont ranks near the bottom of the states in percent of adults who are obese, according to a study released by the Trust For America's Health and reported in today's papers.
"Only" 22%--more than one in five--of adult Vermonters are obese. What the article does not tell us is what it means to be obese. It's based on a combination of height and weight and measured by something called the BMI, the body mass index. To calculate your BMI simply divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared and then multiply by 703. If you can't do that in your head, you can go here.
An average Vermont male is about 5'10". He has to weigh more than 210 pounds to be clinically obese. An average 5'5" woman has to weigh more than 180 pounds to be obese.
The report also tells us (page 8) that 58% of Vermonters, more than half of the adults in the state, are either obese or overweight. To be overweight, a 5'10" male has to weigh in at over 170, and a 5'5" woman at over 130 pounds.
Obesity, and being overweight, can lead to many costly medical complications and that's one reason health care costs are rising. Health care reform legislation is going to have a difficult time accomplishing the goal of limiting the increase in health care costs if a lot of those costs are due to choices we make.
The nation has been able to reduce smoking by a combination of education and very high taxes. The former may work for obesity, but I doubt anyone is going to advocate a $10 tax on a six pack of Coke or a bag of Doritos.
Here come the headlines:
Vermont kills Spandex sales; Tinmouth plant moves to China!
Rise in life expectancy threatens earlier bankruptcy to Social Security.
Food Police suffer severe depression, go on SSDI further straining the system.
Politicians raise taxes across the board to cover changes in lifestyles.
Posted by: Ed G. Mann | July 02, 2009 at 06:18 PM
We have grandchildren. When we take care of them, the problem isn't what they eat, it's finding time to feed them between activities. I'm more than glad to shove a big mac, fries and a shake into them. Their schedule of a couple games a day burns up that fodder in a hurry.
People are fat because they don't give a damn.
Why should I be penalized by the government because I want to fuel my kid's activities.
They can take that tax and shove it where the sun don't shine[which has been Vermont this June].
Posted by: Tom Hall | July 02, 2009 at 06:20 PM